STAGE TUBE: LION KING Child Star Tavarez Fights Leukemia

Shannon Tavarez, who has appeared on Broadway in Disney's THE LION KING, has been diagnosed with leukemia.

"It hit me really hard, like someone was throwing a ball at me," the 11-year old said from her hospital bed.

Tavarez was performing when the symptoms first hit. "My lower back and legs were tight and it hurt to walk."

The young performer now has daily chemotherapy and needs a bone marrow transplant, but the pool of minority donors is small. Less than 10-percent of the donor pool is made up of minorities.

Dr. Joel Brochstein of Schneider Children's Hospital told My FOX New York it is important that Tavarez has the surgery in the next few months.

Tavarez's Broadway friends and family are organizing a bone marrow drive to take place in July.

A simple swap test inside the mouth is all that is needed to check to see if someone is a match for Shannon Tavarez.

"This battle is a tough one but I'll get through it," Tevarez says.

Shannon Skye Tavarez is an honor student at PS 176 in Queens, NY. Shannon attended the Harlem School of Arts and studies at The American Dance and Drama Studio in Flushing.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!