Do thugs and gangsters help people? Conventional wisdom would suggest that they don’t. So either rap star 50 Cent has stopped considering himself to be one, or he just committed a major violation with his latest act of benevolence. 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson, has championed the cause of former Lion King star Shannon Tavarez, who is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. The 11-year old Broadway star, who was wowing crowds as Nala in the popular production, has been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia.

When 50 Cent heard of her plight, he and Tony Yayo registered as bone marrow donors with DKMS and were added to the Be The Match Registry in an effort to help the young actress. Hearing of Tavares’ story made him think of his own son. “My son is just a couple years older than Shannon and I can’t imagine if his life was needlessly cut short when there is someone out there that could save him,” 50 said in a statement.

“Shannon’s chances of finding a matching donor are slim because she’s African American and Dominican and minorities are underrepresented in the national registry,” he continued. “Everyone, regardless of their race or ethnicity deserves a fair chance at life. Registering to become a bone marrow donor starts with a cheek swab, but it’s more than that. It’s a commitment to save a life.”

DKMS is the largest bone marrow donor center in the world, with more than 2 million registered donors. Join the fight today, by signing up as a bone marrow donor. Visit GetSwabbed.org for more details. –djr

Check out the videos below of 50 Cent getting swabbed, and Shannon Tavarez’s donor video.

50 Cent gets swabbed with DKMS

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