Stem Cell Donation Project

Grateful Recipient! Stem Cells for Life! Potential Donors Needed!

The Rotary Club of Nipissing in partnership with Canadian Blood Services; and, with help from a wonderful advisory committee, is moving forward with a "campaign" to register potential stem cell donors. We will be using social media, educational programs, events like a "swab in" and other strategies to achieve this.

Rotarian Colin Vickers is a grateful recipient of a stem cell transplant. The transplant was needed and made available to him after intensive treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Today, just over a year after his transplant, he is feeling well and making good progress. The club supports him in the choice to "give back".

Stems cell transplants address several kinds of blood cancers as well as approximately 80 other medical conditions including Sickle Cell Anemia and, in some cases, MS. The need to find good "matches" among the a list of "matched unrelated donors" (MUD) and patients exceeds what is available on the Canadian Blood Services registry and Hema Quebec registry. In Colin's situation, there was no MUD available in Canada. Thankfully registries around the world are linked providing a match for him. There is a significant need to recruit more donors.

To register as a donor, you need to be 17-35 years of age; complete a brief screening survey on line; and, once you are screened complete a cheek swab kit sent to you to do and then return by mail. Easy!

We are asking you to consider sharing this information and the attached poster with people you know. Information about donating stem cells is available at https://blood.ca/rotary . As well, the attached poster has a hyperlink and QR code that will bring you to the registration site. A diverse registry is ideal. A few comments from you would be great. Otherwise please like and share as you are comfortable.

Thank you!

#gratefulrecipient #stemcellsforlife #savedbythecell #getswabbed