LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two siblings are desperately searching for the one person who can save the life of their sister, a Louisville mother of two.
Julie Tyrell is about to turn 42 in just a few days, but it's been a rough road. She's been battling cancer, and her most recent battle with leukemia had progressed to the point where doctors say there is only one option left.
She needs a bone marrow transplant, and her family is on mission to find a donor -- with the knowledge that time is not on their side.
It hasn't been an easy road for Julie Tyrell, but photographs tell a story of a life of more than just medical challenges. She has a lot to live for.
"She has a 14-year-old son and a 2-year-old son that desperately need her," said Lisa Lucas, Tyrell's sister.
But just normal everyday activities have gotten a lot harder recently.
"Keeping up with a 2-year-old when you're full of energy is tough, so I know that just weighs on her," said James Polk, Tyrell's brother.
She celebrated a victory after beating cancer before, but now it's back. This time, it's in the form of leukemia, a blood cancer.
"This could shorten her life, and it definitely will if we don't find a bone marrow donor," Polk said.
Polk and Lucas both say they've always been incredibly close to their sister. Both siblings have been tested but unfortunately neither are a bone marrow match for their sister.
"It really took the wind out of our sails once they told us that," Polk said. "So it makes it harder to find a match, but it's not impossible."
On Saturday, they teamed up with the national marrow donor program, "Be the Match," getting as many people registered as they could.
Potential donors can be male or female, but in this case age matters. They must be between the ages of 18 and 40.
"Due to research, donors between the ages of 18-40 have provided the best outcome in suitable donors for the patients that are in need," explained Dannie Moore, a spokesman for Be the Match.
Becoming a part of the national registry is as easy as scanning a QR code, filling out some information on your phone, swabbing your cheek for 10 seconds, then mailing off your sample.
It's what Karen Ellis did during a drive in 2002. Twelve years later, she got the call: she was a 10 out of 10 match for a complete stranger, a 51-year-old man in North Carolina.
She didn't hesitate and her selfless act saved his life.
"I was thinking, why would I say no?" she said. "This person is needing to live. So that never entered my mind, to say no."
Tyrell's siblings are hoping there's someone out there as generous as Karen for their sister.
"We're just so close and we don't want to lose our sister," Lucas said.
Tyrell's family says doctors are hoping to perform a bone marrow transplant as soon as possible. If you'd like to sign up on the national registry, you can do so by clicking here.
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