Those who want to try to help him and others waiting for a match now and in the future can register from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Christ United Methodist Church, 1639 Ke'eaumoku St.

Pak has severe aplastic anemia. He also has a rare bone disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta Type 4. He is of Korean ancestry.

Roy Yonashiro, Hawai'i Bone Marrow Donor Registry recruitment coordinator, said some characteristics of marrow type are unique to people of specific ancestry. However, it's possible for patients to match donors from other racial and ethnic groups.

He said marrow transplants require certain matching tissue traits between donor and patients. Because those traits are inherited in the same way people inherit hair or eye color, a match is more likely to come from within a patient's own family.

But Yonashiro said 70 percent of those who need transplants cannot find a match within their own family. And that's why they need to find healthy individuals willing to donate.

To sign up as a bone marrow donor, you must: be between 18 and 60 years old and generally in good health; have a finger stick to provide a blood sample that will be sent for tissue typing to test for potential matches; be willing to donate not knowing whom you will match; and provide two contacts to help the registry find you if a match is found.