“At any given time, close to 1,000 Canadian patients are waiting for a stem cell transplant,” says Dr. Dana Devine, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of the Canadian Blood Services. That is despite the fact Canadian Blood Services belongs to an international network of registries that has access to 25 million donors.
People making donations is not really the problem. It is more an issue of finding an appropriate “match,” which is complicated. Blogger Sara Nolte explains why here.
When patients can’t use their own stem cells, they typically seek matching stem cells from family members or donors in their ethnic community, where the chances of a match are highest.
The majority of the stem cell donations in the public donor bank are from Caucasians – over 70 percent – with the remaining under 30 percent representing all the other ethnic groups. The lack of diversity is an issue and stem cell drives for specific populations are one solution.
Dr. Warren Fingrut is a hematology resident physician at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He’s been organizing drives since 2009 and at one time partnered with Hillel to encourage Jewish students on campuses in Vancouver to join the registry. Today he is director of the Stem Cell Club at UBC and the group has recently produced a whiteboard video, below, to explain stem cell transplantation and demystify the process.
I gave a cheek swab a few years ago and the process could not have been simpler. I have yet to be called as a match for someone, but my name is in the registry and my sample is available to physicians around the world. If it turns out my simple act might one day save a life, that would be pretty special. Most stem cell donations are as easy as giving blood. Watch the video below to learn more and then take the time to join the registry or make a donation in another way.
Correction: Stem Cell Club is a national organization that has 22 university chapters across Canada. Dr. Fingrut started Stem Cell Club at UBC, but went on to found the other chapters. He is the national director.
Stacey Johnson
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