Fifteen-year-old Max Uribe has a lot going for him. He works hard in school, plays soccer and composes piano music.

“He is very diligent. He is very self-driven. He's very curious,” his father, Juan Uribe, told NY1. “He doesn't like the limelight. That's not his style.”

But last week, Juan Uribe stepped into the spotlight for him.

He created a TikTok account and posted his first video, which has since garnered more than 18 million views.

“I'm posting this because I need your help to save my son,” he told viewers.

Max needs a stem cell transplant as soon as possible. Finding a perfect match has proven difficult. He is 50% Colombian and 50% European, and registries are underrepresented when it comes to people of mixed heritage and minority backgrounds.

When Max was 6, routine bloodwork revealed alarmingly low blood counts. He tested positive for parvovirus. His levels improved but never returned to normal.

In August 2025, Max underwent a bone marrow biopsy. His doctor identified “pink flags” associated with MDS, a form of blood cancer, and advised the family to add a stem cell transplant specialist to his care team.

“His bone marrow is basically on a path to bone marrow failure and there are these, like, scary things that are growing that could turn into blood cancer,” Uribe said. “So what the stem cell transplant process does is it wipes out all of the bad stuff that he has and it gives him a new immune system so that he can go on and live his life.”

The New York City native is still searching for a perfect donor.

“Left untreated, he dies,” his father said. “I mean, a partial match transplant will help, but nothing's as good as the perfect match transplant.”

Max has a twin sister, but she is not a perfect match — something doctors say is common.

“Only about 30% of the time do patients find a match in their family and 70% of the time they need to go to the registry to find an unrelated donor. And that is because genetics are complicated,” said Erica Jensen, senior vice president of strategy and advancement for the NMDP.

According to data from Gift of Life Marrow Registry, white patients have a 79% chance of finding a match. That number drops to 48% for Hispanic or Latino patients.

“These registries are underrepresented when it comes to people of mixed heritage and minorities. And so whatever we can do to fill that registry with additional donors from those backgrounds, it's just going to make it much easier for countless people to find that perfect match donor,” Juan said.

In less than a week, more than 20,000 people requested swab kits from the NMDP.

According to the organization, 56% of those registrants identify as Hispanic or Latino, making it the group’s most successful Hispanic online registry event ever.

“Cancer doesn't discriminate,” Jensen said. “It impacts everyone equally. So having more Hispanic donors on the registry will enable us to be able to find more matches for Hispanic patients of blood cancers and blood disorders.”

Juan Uribe is now using his growing platform to push for even more action. His goal: to add 1 million new potential donors to the registry by April 1.

He is encouraging people to request at-home swab kits, attend in-person drives or organize their own events.

“I mean, for us, it's tough. I'd be lying to you if I didn't say that there's moments where I just tear up and bawl. This is the last thing you want happening to your child,” he said. “The only thing that I can do is try to get those million donors added to the registry. We're gonna save countless lives through this effort.”

People between the ages of 18 and 35 are eligible to join the registry.

The NMDP has created a special “Team Max” page for those interested in signing up.