Transplant ‘didn’t take’ so supporters launch
search for new donor

[Editor’s note: Last week, we published a letter from Ln Alessi about her daughter, Vincenza, a 2012 Cooperstown Central School graduate who received a bone marrow transplant. This is an update to that letter.]

“Scary news today, the transplant didn’t take,” Ln Allesi posted on Facebook last week. “We are praying for strength and wisdom.”

With that, Cooperstown Central teachers Jennifer Pindar and Rebecca Sciallo jumped into action to help Vincenza find a matching donor.

“It’s in the very early stages, but we are researching how we might be able to help by coordinating a bone marrow transplant candidate site,” Ms. Pindar said. “We want to find a match for Vincenza. We want to help.”

Vincenza’s brother Dante provided the first marrow transplant.

“Dante was the closest match available at the time,” Ms. Alessi said. “We know there is a potential to find someone with an even more exact match. People just need to get tested to find out if they are a match.”

Supporters have established a GoFundMe account to help the family defray its costs; visit gofundme.com and type Vincenza in the search bar to make a contribution.