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‘Lion King’ Actress Shannon Tavares Dies of Leukemia
4:53 am November 3, 2010
By Omrelap Campbell · Leave a Comment
Shanon Tavares, the 11-year-old actress who starred on 'The Lion King' on Broadway, died Monday afternoon at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, Long Island, after a battle with leukemia.
"She was a remarkable and talented young lady who touched the lives of those she entertained, as well as those who cared for her over the past several months," a representative from the medical center told the media Tuesday.
Shannon had gone through an umbilical-cord blood transplant in August as an alternative to a bone marrow transplant which could not be performed because a perfect match for her bone marrow could not be found.
According to the National Marrow Donor Program, a perfect match for bone marrows of minorities and those of mixed ancestry is very difficult to find, more especially because there are just a few people from these groups who sign up as potential donors.
Shannon's mother is African-American and her father is of Hispanic origin. NMDP stated further that 83 percent of African-American patients who are in need of bone marrow transplants do not find matches after a six-month search. NMDP is a non-profit organization on a mission to help find donors for patients who need bone marrow transplants.
On her web site, Shannon made an appeal to the site's visitors to get tested, in hopes of finding her match. "Some people think that the test for compatibility is scary! … All it really takes to get started is a cotton swab of the inside of your cheek."
"So please get tested today. Who knows? You might be my match. Or, you may be able to help other young people with similar illnesses. And remember… 'One swab will do the job,'" she wrote.
Shannon's illness compelled her to quit the show in April. She won the role of Nala, the childhood sweetheart of Simba in "the Lion King," over hundreds of other children who auditioned to get become a theater star. She shared the role with another girl, performing the show four times a week for six months.
"It's an indescribable feeling, being on stage. I portray this character with fears, but who is so tough. I feel like that's who I am," she told the Associated Press after doctors revealed that she had leukemia".
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The blog is mourning the lose of this amazing girl, who gave her soul to TLK and her battle.
