Bone marrow drive held in NYC for 'Lion King' star

[July 19, 2010]  NEW YORK (AP) -- A bone marrow drive for an 11-year-old "Lion King" star with leukemia has turned out to be one of the hottest matinees on Broadway.

Some 385 people registered as bone marrow donors Sunday in hopes of helping Shannon Tavarez (tuh-VAR'-ehz) beat leukemia.

Shannon played the role of Young Nala the lion cub in "The Lion King" for seven months before she was diagnosed with the life-threatening blood cancer in April.

Her best shot at recovering and returning to the theater is a bone marrow transplant, which requires a genetic match.

The bone marrow registry DKMS held a bone marrow drive Sunday at St. Malachy's Roman Catholic Church in the theater district.

Shannon won the role of Young Nala in an open audition -- her first ever.

[Associated Press]

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