In Marseille, the family of Gabin, aged two and a half, are looking for a bone marrow donor
In Marseille, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, the family of two-and-a-half-year-old Gabin is calling for an expansion of the bone marrow donor registry. According to an article published by 20 Minutes on September 27, 2026, the little boy, who has been battling leukemia since the summer of 2025, relapsed at the beginning of the month. A transplant is being considered before the end of the year, but no compatible donor has yet been identified.
An appeal launched from Marseille
Gabin was initially treated at La Timone Hospital, according to the media outlet. After a period of remission, his illness relapsed. He now needs to undergo intensive chemotherapy in preparation for a bone marrow transplant. The family hopes that a national appeal will encourage more people to register as donors.
The compatibility between a donor and a patient depends on biological characteristics that must be very similar. Therefore, registering a new volunteer does not guarantee that they will be compatible with Gabin; it simply increases the chances of finding a donor for all patients on the waiting list. The French Biomedicine Agency also emphasizes the importance of diversifying the profiles of those registered.
Who can register and how?
In France, registration is open to healthy individuals aged 18 to 35. The process begins online on the official bone marrow donation website . After a health questionnaire, a saliva or blood sample is taken to establish the volunteer’s biological profile. Registration does not mean that a donation will be requested immediately: the donor is contacted if a match is found and if their situation allows.
When a sample is taken, it is most often from the blood; it can also be taken from the pelvic bones. Bone marrow is not the spinal cord. The procedure is explained and supervised by the medical team.
A mobilization that extends beyond the Bouches-du-Rhône region
The appeal concerns a family from Marseille, but the registry is national and linked to international registries. Residents of Marseille and other towns in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region can therefore contribute by learning more and, if they meet the requirements, by registering. Those who are not eligible to become donors can also share the information.
At this stage, 20 Minutes reports that a transplant is expected before the end of the year and that there is no compatible donor. No independent information on Gabin’s medical progress is provided in the sources consulted.
Source: 20 Minutes – Marseille News
Practical information: French Biomedicine Agency – conditions and steps for donation
Original article: See the original source
