A Butler County mother has been trying to spread the word about finding a partner for her 7-year-old son since October 2021, when she learned he had a rare autoimmune disease affecting only one in 1.6 million people.

This Mother’s Day, Missy Ramirez shared her story of fear and hope for her son, Jax Ramirez’s battle with IPEX.

The only possible cure is a bone marrow transplant, and out of millions of people signed up to donate, no one is up to Jax.

“For people of color, it’s really hard to find someone just because of the lack of diversity in the donor campaign,” Ramirez said.

With the uncertainty of the illness, Missy said they needed to act quickly.

“We have to find a game while Jax is healthy, and it turned out to be harder than I thought, but I’m not going to give up hope,” Ramirez said.

Over the past 7 months, she and her family have organized many donation drives and helped close to 4,000 people register to become a potential donor.

“Our mission is not just to save Jax, but to save everyone else. Eighteen thousand people are looking for their perfect partner today to save lives,” Ramirez said.

To register, text “JAX” to 61474, and a collection kit will be sent to your home.

You might never correspond with someone who needs a blood or bone marrow donor, or you might be able to save a life.

“I wake up every day and see him bouncing around and smiling, but deep down inside I know it could be taken away from me the very next day,” Ramirez said.

For details on future live donor events, follow “Be the Match for Jax” on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok.