Seneca Valley cheerleaders, from left, Brooklyn Rodrigues, Haley Hilliard and Madelyn Och show off their “Be The Match for Jax” T-shirts. Attendees of the game donned the T-shirt to show support for Jax Ramirez, a Seneca Valley third grader battling a rare auto immune disease. Kyle Prudhomme/Butler Eagle

PINE TWP, Allegheny County — Missy Ramirez knows she’s fighting the odds.

Her fight rages on, nonetheless.

Ramirez is a psychologist in the Pine-Richland School District. Her elder son, Jackson, is a third-grader in the Seneca Valley district and will turn 9 later this month.

Jackson, who goes by the nickname “Jax,” has IPEX Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. Only one in 1.6 million people get this autoimmune disease.

Jax is in need of a stem cell transplant and the search for a willing match has been going on for two years.

Denise Manganello, left, and Paige Miller, right, handle a saliva swab on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at Pine-Richland High School. Attendees of the game volunteered to swab themselves in hopes of finding a bone-marrow transplant match for Jax Ramirez, a Seneca Valley third grader battling a rare autoimmune disease. Kyle Prudhomme/Butler Eagle

“We’ve done more than 200 events trying to find a donor,” Ramirez said. “More than 6,000 people have been swabbed as a result.

“We actually found three matching donors along the way, but all three backed out. About 50% of matches in situations like ours back out. They decide they just don’t want to go through with it.”

The latest event in the search for a match for Jax took place Tuesday night at the Seneca Valley at Pine-Richland boys basketball game.

A picture of Jax Ramirez sits atop the swabbing station during a boy’s basketball game between Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at Pine-Richland High School. Jax, a third-grader at Seneca Valley, is battling a rare auto immune disease. Kyle Prudhomme/Butler Eagle

Both teams wore “Be The Match For Jax” shirts during pregame warm-ups. Cheerleaders from both schools wore the shirts throughout the night.

An information table was set up in the corner of the gym for people to learn more about Jax’s situation and stem cell donation in general.

Shirts were tossed into the stands and “Be The Match For Jax” bracelets were also distributed.

The theme was designed to raise awareness of the need for stem cell transplants, educate people on the process and help the Ramirez family in its quest to find a match for Jax.

The event was coordinated by Seneca Valley student Tayla Fullerton as her senior project.

“We’ve been preparing for this for four months,” Fullerton said. “I wanted to do a project that would invoke the use of social media and to help the Ramirez family.

Students and families from Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland come together for a photo following a game on Tuesday, Jan. 9. The game was dedicated to Jax Ramirez, a Seneca Valley third-grader with a rare autoimmune disease. Kyle Prudhomme/Butler Eagle

“Through social media, we got the word out to different clubs around school and the whole thing grew from there. I learned how powerful marketing can be.”

The event included fans trying to sink a basketball shot from half-court at halftime, at a dollar per shot. The first person to sink the shot earned a year’s supply of Blizzards, courtesy of the Dairy Queen in Cranberry Township.

Money raised through the half-court shots went to the Ramirez family, which includes Missy’s husband, Pete, and their 6-year-old son, Lincoln.

Elise Duckworth, a sophomore at Pine-Richland, also helped in preparation of the event.

“I took a journalism class my freshman year and Mrs. Ramirez came in one day and told her story,” Elise said. “I felt like we had to help this family. I talked to our principal and we got involved.

“Our hope is 15 to 20 people get swabbed tonight. Any amount helps. The big thing is raising awareness.”

A swab is a simple brush inside the cheek that is tested to determine whether that person is a stem cell match with anyone in need.

“My brother got tested for Jax and turned out to be a match for a 30-year-old woman from somewhere,” Ramirez said. “We don’t know who she is or where she lives, but this is how matches are discovered.

“For potential donors, there is no pain or risk involved. The National Marrow Donor Program handles all expenses — travel, hotel, food, everything. No money comes out of the donor’s pocket.”

Erin Schollaert is a teacher for the Seneca Valley Academy of Choice, which provides online education. Jax cannot be around other students because of his immune system disorder.

Schollaert got to know him through the academy.

“This is a special night, but I’m not surprised it’s happening,” Schollaert said. “Give them the tools and kids make things happen. It’s so rewarding to see them make a project work like this.”

Seneca Valley basketball coach Kevin Trost said: “High school basketball can bring communities together. Jax is a student in our school district.

“For one of our games to help him and his family out is a great thing.”

The fight to find a willing match for Jax goes on. His mother has recognized a bigger picture along the way.

“I will never stop fighting for my son, but there are so many other people out there in need of transplants of some type,” she said. “Events like this can help save lives.

“Everybody deserves a second chance at life.”

Jax Ramirez, and his mother Missy enjoy an early fall day on their porch in Zelienople, on Saturday, Oct. 21. Chris Leisie/Special to the Eagle