More on The Lion King's Shannon Tavarez' Fight Against Leukemia | Playbill

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Inside Track More on The Lion King's Shannon Tavarez' Fight Against Leukemia A few weeks ago, I posted a message from Shannon Tavarez. This talented 11-year-old (who played young Nala in the Broadway company of The Lion King) is battling Leukemia, which sadly keeps her off the stage and in a hospital bed.


Shannon sent us this video to show the world that she’s still singing and fighting to get back to the show she so loves performing in.

The company of Broadway’s The Lion King has joined forces with DKMS to hold a bone marrow donor drive this month in the hopes of finding Shannon a match, which can save her life. Further information on the drive will be announced next week and I’ll be sure to post that information when it comes in.

Here are a few messages from Shannon's many Broadway fans!

“Eleven year old Shannon Tavarez has more fight in her than most adults. She shines on the stage but now she is mostly confined to a hospital bed. Her chances of finding a matching donor are slim because she’s African American and Dominican and minorities are underrepresented in the national registry. Sadly Shannon is not alone. There are six thousand patients who are searching for a bone marrow match every day. Register as a bone marrow donor. You can help her win this fight.”-- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony-winning creator of In the Heights

"I just wish for Shannon to get well soon. I know what it's like to be given the opportunity to perform on Broadway and I would have been crushed if that was taken away from me. Shannon deserves to return to the stage where she belongs. Unfortunately I'm too young to register, but I don't understand how people would not register if they could save a life. We need to save Shannon and others. So I ask everyone to please register with DKMS."--Trent Kowalik, Tony-winning actor of Billy Elliot

If you’re interested in registering, you can do so by getting a registration kit online at www.getswabbed.org. Registering to become a donor is more than a cheek swab; it is a commitment to help save a life. You must be between 18 and 55 and in good general health. When you register with DKMS, you will also be listed on the Be The Match Registry (operated by the National Marrow Donor Program) and can be found as a donor match for a patient in need of a bone marrow transplant.

If you have a message for Shannon, send it to me at [email protected], and I'll make sure she gets it.

Get well soon, Shannon!  We're all pulling for you and can't wait to see you back on the stage, where you belong!

Shannon photo3

 
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