Mixed Match – Maya & Roseanne Reunited Again in Hawaii!

 By Director Jeff Chiba Stearns

Mixed Match is an important human story told from the perspective of mixed race blood cancer patients who are forced to reflect on their multiracial identities and complex genetics as they struggle with a seemingly impossible search to find bone marrow donors, all while exploring what role race plays in medicine. With the multiracial community becoming one of the fastest growing demographics in North America, being mixed race is no longer just about an identity, it can be a matter of life and deathMixed Match UPDATES TITLE: By Director Jeff Chiba Stearns It’s always great to see update stories of the film’s subjects. Recently, one of our main subjects, Maya Chamberlin and her family travelled to Hawaii. While there, they met up with Maya’s bone marrow donor Roseanne Schuct who lives in Makakilo. Roseanne donated her bone marrow to save Maya’s life almost 6 years ago. We originally filmed the first reunion between the two at an A3M fundraising dinner back in 2011 but it’s amazing to see them reuniting again five years later. What I find amazing is how much of a bond is formed between the donor and recipient after transplant. It’s incredible to know that with bone marrow and stem cell donation, the recipient and donor are allowed to contact each other one year after the transplant if both parties agree they would like to know each other’s true identity. They are then free to meet up if they so choose! Seeing as how both Maya and Roseanne are such a close match genetically, I can’t help but think how incredible it is knowing that Maya now has Roseanne’s immune system inside her body. We’re all super happy to know that Maya is healthy and growing up strong after her transplant. Please watch the news story by Hawaii News Now to see this inspirational interview.