Jason Momoa is shining the light on children in need of bone marrow transplants.
As part of a campaign to raise awareness for bone marrow registries, the "Aquaman" star attended a special event held at Brigham Young University-Hawaii and hosted by Me The Match organization recently, where he shared a few words and interacted with some patients.
Amongst those present was six-year-old Rhyder Lopez and his nine-year-old brother named Rhaiden who both have the rare but potentially fatal genetic disease Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), according to People. And while Rhaiden found a matching donor seven years ago and is cured, Rhyder is yet to find a matching donor.
"I get emotional when I think about it. If it's my kids or your kids... it doesn't take much," Momoa said to those attending the event, according to a video posted on his Instagram account. He was holding Rhyder in his arms as he spoke. "You just got to swab a cheek, and you can save some lives. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for coming. I love you, Aloha!"
In another post, Momoa urged fans and followers to take action and help children like Rhyder find their match.
"Hopefully one step closer to finding a match for Rhyder Lopez & @thetravissnyder," he wrote. "Please! Go to link in bio and my story to learn more on how you could help be a super hero and save lives. Join the registry! Please do your part and make a difference and help! Aloha j"
Momoa first became aware of the Be The Match organization when he met his friend Travis Snyder six years ago. Snyder is battling leukemia for the third time and is in need of a blood stem cell transplant. Earlier this year Snyder spoke about his friendship with Momoa.
"We met through happenstance and mutual friends after my first cancer battle in 2015," Snyder, 44, told the outlet. "I think in the aftermath of treatment I was very focused on living every day with purpose and my heart was open and Jason wasn't quite as busy then and he lives with such a big giving heart and Aloha, we just connected instantly."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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