Indianapolis boy needs stem cell donor to beat cancer for 2nd time

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 10-year-old Indianapolis boy is looking for some help as he battles cancer a second time.

Brian Peguese needs a stem cell transplant and is looking for a donor. No one in his family is a match, so they have teamed up with the nonprofit Be the Match to find a donor.

His mother, Juanita Perkins, says the journey has been unpredictable ever since he faced leukemia the first time.

“It just changes day by day,” she said. “You never live the same day. When you get that phone call saying your child has relapse, your heart drops and your whole world just sinks in. You’re reliving it all from the beginning, so it’s even worse.”

Even with the organization’s help, Brian only has a 23% chance of finding a donor. Perkins is hoping her son’s fight helps raise awareness of other kids facing the same battle all over the country.

“As an African American, we don’t donate,” she said. “I’m trying to be an advocate and get the awareness out there as much as possible.”

She says her son Brian doesn’t know all the details about leukemia, but he knows one thing for sure: He needs blood through a stem cell transplant and the more people register to donate, with a simple swab of the cheek, the better chance Brian has of going back to doing what kids do.

As he and his family wait on that lifesaving transplant, they know all it takes is one person to turn everything around. If you can’t do anything else, the family hopes that you’ll at least spread the word.

“Even if you don’t want to be a donor, just share my post,” Perkins said.

The Perkins are hoping for anything that brings them closer to that one donor that could be Brian’s match.