STAGE TUBE: LION KING's Tavarez Sings for Cancer Treatment; Broadway Community Steps Up

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, former LION KING cub Shannon Tavarez was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia in April of this year. The talented young star was performing at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway when the symptoms first hit. Her lower back and legs suddenly started hurting making it hard for her to perform or even walk. She now lives at Schneider Children's Hospital in Long Island where she receives daily chemotherapy treatments. A bone marrow transplant from a stranger may be her only chance at survival, and she bravely continues to search for a match. Click below see Tavarez sing 'Circle of Life' from the hospital in a new PSA.

The Broadway community has stepped up to support Shannon. Recently, Lin-Manuel Miranda joined forces with DKMS earlier this year when he recorded a PSA to air on Univision, urging the Hispanic community to donate bone marrow. Shannon's mother is African American and her father is Dominican. DKMS is the world's largest bone marrow donor center with over 2 million registered donors. Their mission is to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors for leukemia patients. More than 20,000 DKMS donors have helped save lives by donating their bone marrow. DKMS Americas is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Said Miranda: "Eleven year old Shannon Tavarez has more fight in her than most adults...She shines on the stage but now she is mostly confined to a hospital bed. Her chances of finding a matching donor are slim because she's African American and Dominican and minorities are underrepresented in the national registry. Sadly Shannon is not alone. There are six thousand patients who are searching for a bone marrow match every day. Register as a bone marrow donor. You can help her win this fight."

Fellow child star Trent Kowalik (Billy Elliot) has also lent support: "I just wish for Shannon to get well soon. I know what it's like to be given the opportunity to perform on Broadway and I would have been crushed if that was taken away from me...Shannon deserves to return to the stage where she belongs. Unfortunately I'm too young to register, but I don't understand how people would not register if they could save a life. We need to save Shannon and others. So I ask everyone to please register with DKMS."

Every day thousands of patients search the national registry in hope for a bone marrow donor match. Sadly 6 out of 10 patients never receive a transplant.

Registering to become a bone marrow donor starts with a cheek swab; it is a commitment to help save a life. You must be between 18 and 55 and in good general health. When you register with DKMS, you will also be listed on the Be The Match Registry® (operated by the NMDP) and can be found as a donor match for any patient in need of a bone marrow transplant.

The cost to DKMS for registering a new potential bone marrow donor is $65. DKMS does not make paying the fee mandatory, but they depend on public donations and appreciate any contribution.

For more information about DKMS and to learn more about registering as a bone marrow donor, visit www.getswabbed.org.