This Fair Haven teen likes to sing and dance. She needs a bone marrow donor to stay alive

Emmy Freund is a 15-year-old freshman at Rumson-Fair Haven High School who sings in a youth band and likes volleyball and dancing.

“She’s a calm, tender, sweet girl and a hard worker,” family friend Sally Trezza said.

Right now she’s fighting for her life, and members of the public can help her.

In December Emmy was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, which starts in the bone marrow and often moves quickly into the bloodstream — and sometimes to other parts of the body. She’s in Hackensack University Medical Center undergoing intensive chemotherapy, and after that comes a bone-marrow transplant.

He saved a life: Former Freehold Township football star's final play: Helping a mom with leukemia

The problem is: Doctors have not found a good bone-marrow match for Emmy in the national donor registry so Trezza — whose daughter Jolie is friends with Emmy — is issuing a broad appeal for help.

“We’ve been trying to get as many people as possible to register, to see if we can find a match for her,” Trezza said.

Each year roughly 18,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses requiring a bone-marrow transplant. Yet only about 5,000 such transplants are performed annually. It’s difficult to find a match that forecasts a high probability of success; only 30% of those in need find a high-quality match from a family member.

'She's like my daughter': Toms River grandmother with leukemia meets the stem-cell donor who saved her life

'Time is of the essence'

Trezza is leading the community effort to help Emmy in partnership with DKMS, a national nonprofit that specializes in donor drives and advocacy in the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders. It’s an all-out push because Emmy’s treatment is entering crunch time as she endures a third round of chemotherapy.

“Emmy is entered into a clinical trial and the chemotherapy is extensive,” Trezza explained. “It depletes her system and she has to recover, which takes quite a bit of time. She’s in her third round. She is scheduled for a transplant after the round of chemo she’s in right now, so time is of the essence.”

In addition to the physical challenges of Emmy’s condition, there is a morale factor.

“Since December, she’s been in the hospital many more days than at home,” Trezza said.

Just five minutes to check

Her parents are commuting there daily from their Fair Haven home, and one of them always stays the night, but for an immunocompromised 15-year-old, isolation from friends is hard. Emmy would love to get back to singing with her band, which is part of Brookdale Community College's “Rockit Academy” focused on live music education. On Thursday, Rumson-Fair Haven teachers and students took part in a “March Madness” evening of games as part of a donor registry drive sponsored by DKMS and the Fair Haven Booster Club.

Double the benefit: Lakewood miracle man has twice saved lives giving a little bit of himself

Sporting “Emmy Strong” T-shirts and bracelets, friends sent her photos and posted on social media to raise awareness and remind Emmy that she’s not alone in the fight. The registry drive continues virtually. Anyone ages 18 to 55 who is interested can get a kit mailed home.

“It literally takes about five minutes; swab inside the cheek and send it to the lab,” Trezza said.

Those found to be a potential match for someone on the bone-marrow transplant list will be screened and, if green-lighted, have marrow extracted through a surgical procedure that takes a day or two to recover from.

“You’re potentially saving a life,” Trezza said, “whether it’s Emmy’s or someone else’s.”

For more about the virtual bone-marrow donor drive for Emmy, visit www.dkms.org/emmystrongnj. For more information about becoming a bone marrow donor in general, or to request a swab kit online through DKMS, visit dkms.org.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Fair Haven NJ teen with leukemia needs bone-marrow donor; you can help