NEW WESTMINSTER – In collaboration with Canadian Blood Services and Khalsa Diwan Society New Westminster, a young woman is organizing a stem cell donor drive in honour of her brother, who passed away January 21st, 2017 after a very intense battle with cancer.
The focus of this drive is to raise awareness for the need of stem cell donors in the South Asian community. According to Canadian Blood Services, 47 South Asian individuals are actively searching for a stem cell match at this moment. Without a match, their cancer will not be cured. Only 6% of Canada’s OneMatch registry is made of individuals of South Asian descent. This extremely low percentage of donors can make it nearly impossible for individuals to find a match.
The goal is to recruit healthy, committed volunteers between the ages of 17 and 35 who are willing to be a match for any patient in need.
Younger donor stem cells provide better patient outcomes. Male donor stem cells decrease the possibility of post-transplant complication.
Half of all stem cell donors chosen to help a Canadian patient are male. Only 28% of the current stem cell registry is ethnically diverse and as a result, ethnically diverse patients may have a harder time finding a match. These are the reasons why there is a greater need for male and ethnically diverse donors.
WHEN:
- January 27th, 2018, from 10:00am to 6:00pm
WHERE:
- Khalsa Diwan Society New Westminster, Gurdwara Sahib Sukh Sagar
- 347 Wood Street, New Westminster, British Columbia, V3M 5K6
WHY:
- To raise awareness in the South Asian community regarding stem
cell donation
About the OneMatch program: https://www.blood.ca/en/stem-cells
The OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network is responsible for finding and matching volunteer donors to patients who require stem cell transplants. Fewer than 25 percent of patients who need stem cell transplants find a compatible donor in their own family. The rest rely on those who have volunteered to donate stem cells to anyone in need.
For more information contact Amar Kaur Sohi at (604) 961-1498 or email [email protected].
