Young 'Lion King' actor getting crucial transplant

NEW YORK (AP) - Shannon Tavarez has leukemia and will get an umbilical-cord blood transplant Tuesday...

Aug 13, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) — An 11-year-old girl who played young Nala in “The Lion King” on Broadway is getting a potentially lifesaving procedure.

Shannon Tavarez has leukemia and will get an umbilical-cord blood transplant Tuesday. The blood-producing stem cells used in transplants can come from cord blood, bone marrow or blood.

WATCH AN ORIGINAL GRIO PROFILE OF SHANNON TAVAREZ:
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VIDEO shot by Todd Johnson>

Her mother, Odiney Brown, says she’s praying it will work.

The actress was forced to quit the show in April. Cast members held a bone marrow donor registration drive for her last month.