Back in May 2008, I posted an appeal for people of Asian descent to sign up at local bone marrow registries on behalf of Carolyn Tam, who was fighting leukemia. Less than one year later, I sadly posted the news that Carolyn had passed away.
From the One Match website:
A person’s best chance of finding a matching donor is within his or her own ethnic group, it is important that the composition of OneMatch reflect Canada’s rich ethnic diversity. It is also important for the future of OneMatch to attract young donors.
The Asian population is not well-represented in the donor databases, creating a situation where it is difficult to find matches for Asians waiting to receive bone marrow transplants.
More than 20 Chinese patients in Canada are searching for a stem cell donor that can save their lives. People 17-50 years of age are needed to join OneMatch registry.
There is a National Chinese Stem Cell Drive taking place in Vancouver and Toronto on Saturday, March 27 from 11am-5pm. There are three locations in the Greater Toronto Area and one Greater Vancouver:
Markham: First Markham Place (Hwy 7/Woodbine)
Scarborough: Splendid China Mall (Kennedy Rd/Steeles Ave E.)
Toronto: Chinese Gospel Church (450 Dundas West/Spadina – Chinatown)
Richmond: Aberdeen Centre (No 3 Rd/Cambie Rd)
To find out more information, please visit www.chinesestemcell.ca or www.onematch.ca today! Registering as a stem cell donor is free.
