The Rieger family has just one wish this holiday season: To find a bone marrow or cord blood match for Lori Rieger.

On Oct. 13, the mother of four was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago with a life-threatening case of pneumonia. During the course of tests associated with the pneumonia, Lori Rieger’s blood tests revealed she had acute myeloid leukemia — a bone marrow cancer.

“We never saw any of the warning signs of it,” said Carly Reiger, Lori’s 23-year-old daughter. The family lives in unincorporated Lake County near Hawthorn Woods.

After doctors were able to treat and cure the pneumonia, Lori Rieger underwent chemotherapy for the leukemia. Because of the type of leukemia, she needs a bone marrow transplant to ensure the cancer does not come back. It is a life-threatening disease. Her family was tested, but no one is a match.

The Rieger family, which includes Lori’s husband Rich, Carly, Kent, 22, Cameron, 20, and Chase, 17, will have a bone marrow drive from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday at Carmel Catholic High School, 1 Carmel Parkway, Mundelein, where anyone interested can get tested. LifeSource is administering the test, which consists of four cotton swabs to the inside of the cheeks. After a person is placed on the national registry — which is shared with other registries worlwide — if they are a close match for Lori Rieger or anyone else seeking a transplant, they will be asked to submit to a blood draw for further testing.

If interested in getting tested and unable to make it to the drive, people can log on to www.marrow.org to request a test kit.

If a person is found to be a match, they will be placed on the Bone Marrow Registry, which is updated every day and checked by Morthwestern Memorial Hospital every day.

“It means a lot because it would give our mom a second hope at life,” Carly Rieger said. “She’s only 50 and we’re (the kids) all still young.”

Another option for transplant is the use of cord blood. Information on donating cord blood is available at www.makeyourbabyproud.com. Pregnant women can let their doctor know they’d like to donate the umbilical cord up to week 34 of a pregnancy. The cord blood cells will be placed on a registry, also checked by Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Rich Rieger said his family’s insurance will cover all of the medical costs associated with his wife’s transplant, so there will be no cost to the donor. The family is also willing to compensate Lori Rieger’s donor for any missed days at work.

For more information on Lori Rieger’s progress, visit a blog kept by her husband at www.caringbridge.org/visit/loririeger. Rich Rieger can also be reached at rprieger7@aol.com.