SWAB EVENT PLANNED FOR LOCAL PATIENT

By becoming a stem cell registrant you can potentially help a little girl with family ties to Mervin like Paige Schmidt. Paige is 6 and was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) – a family of rare disorders in which the bone marrow fails to make enough healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Every week Paige receives a platelet transfusion and a blood transfusion every two weeks. She has no immunity and every time she gets a fever or infection she is hospitalized.

Unfortunately, the family was given the heartbreaking news that no one was the right match to donate their stem cells. At this time she needs to rely on the generosity of a stranger like you to help her live a normal life (please see details below for process to register).

More information about becoming a stem cell donor

Registering to be a stem cell donor
Registrants must be between the ages of 17-35. All it takes is ten minutes to fill in a personal information health questionnaire, a simple swab of the inside of your cheek and a willingness to donate to any patient in need. This information is then safely and securely transferred to OneMatch, to be entered into our donor database.

How does a stem cell transplant work?

Essentially – a patient’s diseased marrow/stem cells are replaced with the donor’s healthy stem cells. It works like this: the patient is given radiation and chemotherapy to destroy both of their diseased bone marrow/ stem cells and their immune system. This is necessary to prevent rejection of the donor’s cells. The donor’s stem cells are then collected and given intravenously to the patient. The hope is that the patients system accepts the new stem cells and starts to replicate and produce the healthy cells. This is why the donor must be a match with the patient. The match is not determined by blood type but by a marker on the patients white blood cells. We can match these markers by getting a swab from the OneMatch registrant when completing stem cell kit.

What it means to donate
Not everyone who registers with OneMatch will be matched to a patient and asked to donate, but each registrant provides hope for those waiting. A person could, however, be a match within a few months of registering, a year later or even seven years later. That’s why it’s important to understand what’s involved – and the commitment – before registering. When selected as a potential match for a patient, OneMatch will contact the registrant to inquire if they are still willing and able to proceed with the donation. Additional health testing will then be performed to ensure the suitability of the match. There are two methods a registrant could be asked to donate; aphaeresis blood donation (85% of the time) or from the bone marrow in hip bone (15% of the time). These lifesaving stem cells are transferred to the patient to restore their health.

Why younger is better
A registry comprised of younger will better meet the needs of Canadian patients, and will ultimately save lives through improved patient outcomes. Currently Canada’s stem cell Network is comprised of over 365,000 searchable registrants. Only 44% of the Network’s composition contains potential donors 17 to 35 years old and only 19% of the Network’s composition are males aged 17 to 35. In the last year, 80% of donors used for Canadian patients were under the age of 36. It is essential that Canadian Blood Services closes this gap to better serve all our patients.

Great need for ethnically diverse individuals
The markers used to match donors to patients occur with different frequency in different populations. For this reason, a person’s best chance of finding a matching donor is among those with similar ancestry. With the current registry being 75% Caucasian, Canadian Blood Services needs to register more ethnically diverse Individuals to be more representative of the Canadian population.

We need your help
Patients are counting on the generosity of donors like you to become stem cell registrants because no one in their family is a match. We are looking for your support to give life to our patients.

In Honour Swabbing Event for Paige Schmidt
We are asking the community to come out and register to see if you are a match to support Paige find a cure as well as the 800+ Canadians who are also looking for their match (it only takes a few minutes to fill out a form and have a cheek swabbed)
SUNDAY, JUNE 25
MERVIN COMMUNITY HALL
401 Wright St, Mervin, SK
10a.m. to 5p.m.
Must be between the ages of 17-35 to register

For more information contact Canadian Blood Services
Darrin Desmedt
Territory Manager
204-789-1074

by Canadian Blood Services

SWAB EVENT PLANNED FOR LOCAL PATIENT

What's Trending