Newly Found Sisters Can Provide Marrow

The sisters a 12-year-old girl never knew she had - until a court-ordered search found them - can provide the bone marrow transplant she needs to fight a rare blood disease.

The transplant, expected within a few weeks, will give Alicia Clack at least a 70 percent chance of full recovery from aplastic anemia, said Dr. Carol Lehan, who’s treating Alicia. Further tests are needed to determine which of the two sisters is the better donor.

“To have a match is wonderful. To have two matches, I can’t describe,” said Alicia’s adoptive father, Richard Clack.

Alicia and her 11-year-old brother, Jonathan Michael, were adopted by Richard and Jill Clack as infants. They didn’t know until recently that they had two older sisters, Pamela 15, and Linda, 13, who were adopted by other families.

The sisters were located last week when adoption records were unsealed under court order in hopes of saving Alicia’s life.