Ignacio Edenburg has been working with the non-profit organization Gift of Life to find a stem cell donor match.
A South Florida father, who has been given just years to live after being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer, is desperately searching for a match to give him the gift of more time.
In 2023, at just 50 years old, Ignacio Edenburg was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare blood cancer that creates abnormal blood cells.
Edenburg is a business owner and an active member of the community who has been a Pembroke Pines soccer coach for years.
He is also the father of two teenagers and he has been married for 20 years.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
Edenburg received the heartbreaking news that he has less than three years to live unless he finds a stem cell donor match.
He has been working with the non-profit organization Gift of Life to find a match - an 18 to 35-year-old with a Spanish, Portuguese and Jewish background.
"Beyond sad, extremely sad... more for my kids and for my wife; nobody wants to leave kids that age, right?,” Edenburg said to NBC6. “I'm just hoping to get lucky, find a match and survive it and being able to keep going with my life in a normal way."
Local
The Gift of Life said the process is a lot simpler than people think.
“It takes less than five minutes to complete a registration to swab your cheek and submit that swab kit to us,” said the recruitment director of Gift of Life, Chris Camaco. “So there is a very low barrier entry piece to it.”
With a simple swab test to see if you match Ignacio, the procedure is like donating blood and one could return to their normal life the next day.
For more information on how you can help Edenburg, click here.
