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Bone marrow drive Tuesday for young aspiring firefighter battling cancer

Tim Richardson, 16, of Cheektowaga, asked for fire department t-shirts while battling leukemia. He received 4,000. Now he's asking for something even more important- a bone marrow match that could save his life.

CHEEKTOWAGA, NY- A Cheektowaga teen who hopes to one day save lives by being a firefighter, is hoping someone will step up to save his life now.

Tim Richardson, 16, of Cheektowaga is battling leukemia. He asked for fire department t-shirts to wear during his fight against leukemia, and ended up receiving more than 4,000 from all across the world. Now he is going through a second round of chemotherapy and is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.

There is a bone marrow donor drive happening Tuesday, June 5 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the clinic at Roswell Park. A simple swab of the cheek will determine if someone is a match for Tim, or another patient in need of a bone marrow transplant.

On Sunday, hundreds turned out at the Southline Fire Department to support Tim at a benefit planned by the Hy-View and U-Crest Fire Departments. Tim's hoping more generous supporters will turn out once again Tuesday for the bone marrow drive.

"Help me achieve my dream of becoming a professional fireman. I'm kind of out of service at the moment and I really want to get back to doing Explorers and get into professional firefighting," Tim said.

To be bone marrow donor, you must be between the ages of 18 and 44 and have no history of cancer, diabetes or heart problems. Donor screening is free at this drive and the cost is covered by the National Marrow Donor Program. For questions, call Terrie Carbone at 716-845-8011, or Michael Garbin of the National Marrow Donor Program at 1-888-298-6571 or BeTheMatch.Org.

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