NEWS RELEASE
CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES
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Canadian Blood Services is calling on Ontario students between the ages of 17 to 35 to step up and swab their cheeks to save a life. Between Feb. 5 and 16, students can register to become a stem cell donor and potentially be a match for one of the nearly 1,000 Canadian patients waiting for a lifesaving stem cell transplant.
Stem cell transplants can treat over 80 diseases and disorders. Post-secondary students have the power to change a patient’s life, because people ages 17 to 35 make the best lifesaving stem cell donors. When a patient undergoes a stem cell transplant, it's often their last hope for survival, and the use of stem cells from younger donors typically leads to better patient outcomes.
Canada's national stem registry should be as diverse as our country. Patients who need a stem cell transplant are more likely to find a matching donor among those who share their ethnic ancestry. Students who come from an ethnically diverse or mixed-race background could be the match a patient has been waiting for.
Campuses participating in Ontario:
- Brock University, St. Catharines
- Georgian College, Barrie
- Queen's University, Kingston
- Trent University, Peterborough
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa
- Carleton University, Ottawa,
- University of Toronto, Toronto
- Toronto Police College, Etobicoke
- York University, Toronto
- Sheridan College, Oakville
- Ontario Tech University, Oshawa
- Centennial College, Scarborough
- University of Waterloo, Waterloo
- Lambton College, Sarnia
- Western University, London
- University of Guelph, Guelph
- McMaster University, Hamilton
If students are unable to attend, they can still register online. Find out more about the campaign online.
For more information or to join the registry, click here or call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283).
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