A Kapolei mother of two with a third child on the way is hoping that Hawai'i's melting pot of people will lead to a bone marrow match for an aggressive form of leukemia.

Sharnell Onaga, 38, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia after her 9-week pregnancy blood test. She's hoping that during November — National Bone Marrow Awareness Month — Hawai'i residents will register as potential bone marrow donors.

"So far, so good. I'm just hanging in there," she said this week.

Onaga doesn't know how much time she has to get a bone marrow transplant — only that she needs it soon.

"I honestly can't give you an answer to that, because some people have days, some have years," she said. "The type of cancer I have ... is a pretty quick-progressing leukemia."

Efforts by family and friends have added more than 800 potential donors to the 66,000 already on Hawai'i's register. Because Onaga is Puerto Rican and Portuguese, she's hoping that Hawai'i's "mixed plate" ethnic background will help with a match.

"We are actually also going through the national registry, which has 6.6 million people, and so far, we have not found a match," she said.

Seventy-five percent of people on the national registry are of Caucasian background, Onaga said. Identical ethnic makeup does not guarantee a match, but a similar background increases the odds.

"We need to make people aware and get out there and get tested," she said.

Doctors wanted her to terminate her pregnancy, but she and her husband opted not to, and Onaga now is at 7 1/2 months. With a two-month preparation time once a donor is found, she will already have delivered her baby, she said.

Onaga said four other Hawai'i residents are on the waiting list for bone marrow transplants. Another died last month before a suitable match was found. A sample is taken with a simple cotton swab on the inside of the cheek.

The Friends for Sharnell Onaga organization have teamed with Soroptimist International of Honolulu, which aids women and children, to assist the Onaga family and collect donations to help defray the estimated $100,000 cost of medical expenses associated with her treatment.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.