Police-Fire Cook-Off Being Held to Find Bone Marrow Match for 6 Year Old

The Lincolnwood Police Department and Lincolnwood-Riverwoods fire fighters will face off Saturday for a cook-off aimed at raising awareness and perhaps finding a bone marrow donor to help 6-year-old Ava Lee, who has a rare form of leukemia, according to an article in the Deerfield Review.

Ava Lee, whose father Mike is the pastor at Deerfield’s North Shore Chinese Christian Church, does not have a donor match in her family, the article says. People who attend the cook-off can get the painless test to register as donors with the Be a Match organization. There will also be a blood drive at the event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lincolnshire Police Department.

One of the organizers told the Daily Herald that they had been planning to organize a blood drive for a while and Ava’s story provided a reason to go beyond the initial blood drive. The money raised by selling food will go toward covering the cost of the cheek swab test needed to screen for donors.

You can read the full Deerfield Review article here.

You can read the Daily Herald article here.