BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP, NJ – The Bordentown community is coming together to help an area teen with his fight against a rare condition.

Daniel Applegate was diagnosed with Evans Syndrome/ALPS at the age of 9. Evans Sydrome is a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body makes antibodies that destroy red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells.

At 14, he was diagnosed at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland with Hyper Active STAT3 GOF, a gene mutation that was causing his autoimmune issues. Daniel's father, sister and brother also have STAT3 GOF.

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In addition, Daniel and his father also have a lung disease that causes holes in the lungs.

On Friday, July 23, a blood drive is being held for Daniel at the Bordentown Township Senior Community Center from 1:00pm to 7:00pm.

This will be the eighteenth blood drive that “Daniel’s Fight”, a group started in support of the teen, has organized. More than 700 units of blood have been collected through the drives, which have helped over 2,000 people so far.**BULLSEYE

The blood drives are especially important because Daniel, as well as his father, relies on blood products every two weeks to survive.

“The importance of donating blood is critical in saving lives. Daniel would not have survived if it wasn’t for blood and plasma donors,” his mother, Dawn, told TAPinto Bordentown in November. “We started Daniel’s Fight because he coded waiting for blood. They did not have a match at the time. So now we hold blood drives every 3 to 4 months.”

Daniel, who recently graduated from Florence High School, has not been to school since sixth grade. Although he was vaccinated as a child, doctors say that the vaccines “did not take”, meaning he has no immunity, which made a school setting too dangerous for him- especially during the COVID pandemic.**STANDARD

To make an appointment to donate blood on July 23, visit https://nybc.org/newjerseydrive and use the sponsor code 68102. Donors can also call 1-800-933-2566 to schedule an appointment.

Walk-ins will be accepted if spacing allows. Please remember to eat, drink and bring your donor ID card or ID with your name and photo.

If you are unable to donate blood but would like to help Daniel and his family, visit Daniel’s Fight’s GoFundMe page HERE. Donations help with expenses such as high medical costs as well as extra cleaning supplies that are currently needed to make sure Daniel stays healthy during the pandemic.**BULLSEYE

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