About the event
Join Nurse Joel and register as a potential stem cell donor. Not everyone who registers will be matched with a patient in need, but the larger our Canadian registry, the more likely someone in need will find a match! Over 1,000 people in Canada are currently looking for a match.
There are certain health criteria that determine if someone is eligible for stem cell donation. These criteria are created to protect the long-term health of both donors and patients.
We encourage you to join Canada's national stem cell registry if you are:
- Between the ages of 17 and 35
- In good general health
- Free of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, or hepatitis B and C
- Free of health issues, including cancer, blood diseases, insulin-dependent diabetes, certain heart conditions, etc.
- Willing to be a donor to any patient in need
If you're unable to attend the stem cell drive, you can register at https://www.blood.ca/en/stemcells
In Canada, a person's search for a donor may start with family members, but less than 25 per cent of patients find a match within their family. Most of the time, patients must rely on unrelated volunteer donors from a registry, often with a similar ethnic background to increase their chances of finding a match. A more diverse registry saves more lives. We encourage people from diverse ethnic background to register - you could be the match that makes the difference!
Nurse Joel was not able to find a match in Canada and his doctors had to look internationally for match. Luckily enough, a generous man in Germany had registered to donate! Joel received his stem cells in September 2018 and has been in remission for the past 7 years from Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
How stem cells work:
A blood stem cell donation from a healthy donor replaces a patient's unhealthy stem cells to help heal and reboot their blood and immune systems. Stem cell transplants help patients whose bone marrow (stem cell factory) has failed due to an illness or have received chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Matching someone is like winning the lotteryl as the patient and donors human leukocyte antigens much be a close match to ensure a successful recovery and prevent rejection.
Stem cell transplants can treat over 80 diseases and disorders, including:
- Various types of blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma
- Bone marrow deficiency diseases such as thalassemia or sickle cell disease
- Aplastic anemia (the lack of normal blood cell production)
- Inherited immune system and metabolic disorders