Leukemia Patient Pregnant With Twins Miraculously Finds Perfect Donor Match

“You’re saving my life,” Susie Rabaca wants to tell her mystery “angel.”

November 30, 2018
Susie Rabaca [ABC7/Screenshot]

Susie Rabaca [ABC7/Screenshot]

Susie Rabaca [ABC7/Screenshot]

By: Aaron Rasmussen

LOS ANGELES, CA — A pregnant woman expecting twins who is also suffering from leukemia experienced a pre-Christmas miracle when she, against all odds, found the ideal, potentially life-saving, bone-marrow donor.

Mother-of-three Susie Rabaca — due to welcome her new babies to the family by December 6 — said she started feeling sick and went to the doctor. She got the bad news she is suffering from aggressive acute myeloid leukemia.

Since the devastating diagnosis, she and relatives, who were not good matches, have been on a desperate search to find potential bone-marrow donors so she would have a fighting chance against the deadly disease.

As part of her efforts, Rabaca signed up with the registry Be The Match. Unfortunately, the fact she is both Latina and Caucasian made finding the right donor much more complicated since matches are based on both ancestry and DNA.

"Only 3 percent of our registry is mixed ethnicity, and so it can be really difficult to find a matching donor,” explained the organization's spokeswoman Julie Kornike.

To help get the word out, ABC7 recently aired a story on Rabaca, and a surprising 40,000 people, many ethnically diverse, did a simple swab test and registered with the company over the following days.

Though the odds were still stacked against her — the registry already had 30 million people worldwide signed up and none had previously matched with Rabaca — she suddenly got a hit.

"The fact that we have identified a potential match for her is really exciting," said Kornike of the good news.

"For me to find one, and for it to be 10 out of 10 at that is amazing,” said Rabaca. “Nothing better in the world right now.”

Rabaca is hoping to undergo the marrow transplant procedure soon after she gives birth to her twins. And though she doesn’t yet know the person who could help her beat leukemia and live to raise her family, she is more than grateful.

”Whoever you are out there, thank you so much,” she said. “You’re saving my life. You're an angel, and I hope one day to meet you.”

Read more: ABC7


Next Up

5 Things To Know About Vanessa Bryant’s Lawsuit Over Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash Photos

The jury deliberated for four and a half hours before reaching a verdict.

Britney Spears’s Ex-Husband Arrested For Crashing Her Wedding

Jason Alexander, 40, livestreamed his invasion via Instagram before being tackled by the police.

Cold Case Victim Identified As Southern California Mother 27 Years After Her Murder

A female body was found near a highway in the Moreno Valley area of California in 1996. After 27 years, she has been identified as 41-year-old Juana Rosas-Zagal.

Two Kidnapped Children Found Nearly One Year Later In Florida Supermarket

In February 2023, a routine vehicle tag check near a Winn-Dixie supermarket helped police locate the alleged kidnapper, 36-year-old Kristi Nicole Gilley, inside the store with the two children.

‘Mom Influencer’ Sentenced After Falsely Accusing Couple Of Trying To Kidnap Her Children

In 2020, Katie Sorensen falsely accused a couple of trying to kidnap her kids in a viral Instagram video and a local news program. Now, she will spend 90 days in jail for falsely reporting a crime.

California Teacher Arrested After Allegedly Hiding Teen For Two Years

The family of teenager Michael Ramirez thought he was missing for two years until he "inexplicably returned home" on March 11, 2022. Now, an arrest has been made in connection with his disappearance.

California Man Accused Of Murdering Wife And Her Parents After Torso Found In Dumpster

On Nov. 7, 2023, Samuel Haskell, Jr. reportedly hired four day-laborers to remove heavy trash bags from his home, which allegedly contained human body parts.

Iowa Father Still Searching For Answers After Son’s 2013 Disappearance

Michael Workman’s son, Fredrick James Workman, disappeared at age 15 and may use the alias "Fred Shields."

California Mom Allegedly Kills Three Kids On Mother’s Day With Help From Her Teen

Angela Flores, 38, and her 16-year-old son allegedly worked together to kill Flores’s three children.

Shaniece Harris Disappeared From New York In 2017, Her Family Is Still Searching For Answers

Shaniece Harris has brown hair, brown eyes, and stands 5 feet 8 inches tall. She was 31 years old when she vanished. If you have any information on where Shaniece could be, please contact the FBI directly: 212-384-1000.