COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Nine-year-old Sydney Balzer is a little girl who loves to play soccer, hang out with her friends, and dance. "She's the typical nine-year-old," her mother, Stacy Balzer, said. "She's sassy at times, always kind-hearted." She also fulfills her sisterly duties.
"Yea, she bugs me all the time," Jeremy Balzer said.
But what this little girl has gone through these past 2.5 years is anything but typical. Sydney was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2010 and underwent years of chemotherapy. The family thought they were home free, but last September, Sydney relapsed.
"There are good days and life is normal. You live minute by minute," Stacy said. "There are days when you don't know if you will wind up in the hospital and if she will be OK. So you really seize those moments and make every day the best it can be."
Doctors believe Sydney's best hope to beat cancer a second time is to have a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, her family is not a match, so the Walled Lake Community stepped up.
"I knew we had strong family and friends, but I didn't know how strong our family friends and the community would be," Sydney's dad, Jason, said. "It's been amazing what they've all done, especially with the drive they are planning."
Besides selling t-shirts and bracelets, "Team Sydney" is hosting a bone marrow donor drive Saturday from 10-3PM at Walled Lake Central High School. They're hoping someone out there will be Sydney's hero.
"Being a bone marrow donor is the same as giving birth," Stacy said. "You are truly giving someone's life back. It's serious, her life in on the line. We're looking for people to come out. We're looking for matches for Sydney and other people in our situation."
It doesn't take much to get tested, just a simple swab of your mouth. The Balzers say that small action could have a big impact on their little girl's life.
If you are unable to attend, you can still help by:
1. Holding your own drive (Reference Sydney Balzer)
2. Hosting a Swab Party (Reference Sydney Balzer)
3. Go on the DKMS website (www.deletebloodcancer.org) and have a kit sent to your house.
4. Donate (Team Sydney Fundraising Page -http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/teamsydney1/teamsydneyfundraisingpage)
5.Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Sydney/407878049340473?hc_location=stream
6. Donation page: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/teamsydney1/teamsydneyfundraisingpage
Remember, it only takes 5 minutes to register, but it could end up meaning a long, happy life for someone like Sydney.