Desirae Desmond is a nine-year-old girl from Lynn Massachusetts.
"She loves arts, she loves to color, she loves her friends and school," said her mother Dawn Desmond. "She's a normal everyday girl."
Desirae has been battling with Fanconi Anemia.
"It's basically anemia of the bone marrow and it also effects major organs. Cancer is 500 to 700 times more likely to evolve in her life," said her mother.
Desirae also likes spending time with her twin brother Jake even when that means playing video games she's not so good at.
When she plays Mario Kart with her twin brother jake she said, "I always come in last."
Jake and Desirae are good at making each other laugh, which is what they need after enduring a bone marrow transplant that saved Desirae's life.
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"I was actually kind of happy that day," said Jake.
Robb Desmond, Desirae's dad, works as a firefighter for the Peabody Fire Department. When his fellow firefighters got the news of Desirae's battle they held a bone marrow drive in hopes of finding her a donor.
"I'd say probably over 1,000 people showed up," said her dad.
Weeks later they found out 14 people in the world could potentially donate but none of them were a perfect match.
The Desmond family went through their own testing, even the first set of twins.
"I was happy one of our siblings was a match," said Desirae's brother Robert Desmond.
They discovered her savior is the one she came into the world with.
When she asked why she was so happy that Jake was a perfect match she said, "because he's my twin and I don't really want a stranger to do it."
"Yea I wouldn't want that either," said Jake who matched all ten of the requirements.
On August 3 of this year, Jake donated his bone marrow to his sister and even got to press the button that gave it to her.
Now she's doing well and will start school next year, but things are hard on the family.
"We've been both out of work since the end of June," said her dad. "Money is getting tight right now."
There's a comedy night fundraiser on October 1 to help Desirae and her family.
It will be held at Onion Town Grill in Danvers, Massachusetts.
Tickets are $25 and doors open at 6 p.m.
To purchase tickets prior to the event call the Peabody Fire Department at 978-531-2200.
