An appeal for stem cell donors - June 17th at JCCC, age 17 to 35

JCCC Fri May 20, 2016 8:29 pm

Looking for Heroes Age 17 to 35!!
Get Swabbed In Support of OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network

On Friday, June 17th, 2016, we are holding a “Get Swabbed” event aimed at registering willing donors into a Canadian and an international stem cell database to help those in need of a transplant. Participants can easily register and provide a simple cheek swab.

My husband Steve was diagnosed in 2008 with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and in our journey to combat the disease we realize that he will eventually be in need of a stem cell transplant. His best chance of finding a match is from the Japanese community as Steve’s heritage is 100% Japanese. Unfortunately there are not many Japanese people registered in the OneMatch program in Canada. People of partial Japanese descent and other Asian ethnicities can also provide a cheek swab for a possible match.
We are hoping to recruit as many young people as possible between the ages of 17 and 35 to register (you will not be tested if you do not meet this age criteria). Although our focus for Steve is for Asians and particularly Japanese people to be tested, more registrants improve the odds for all people that are in need of a stem cell transplant.

We are appealing to you to participate in this “Get Swabbed” event at:

Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
Hosaki Room, Main floor
6 Garamond Court, Toronto

Friday June 17th, 2016
6:00 – 9:00 pm

If unable to attend the event, you can register online. You will be sent a kit with instructions on how to obtain a cheek swab and how to send it back to OneMatch.

For further information, here are the links to the OneMatch program in Canada:

https://www.blood.ca/en/stem-cells/get-started
https://www.blood.ca/en/stem-cell/information-for-patients

Steve’s best chance of finding a donor is through the registry in Japan. Here is the link to the Japanese organization:

http://www.jmdp.or.jp/english.html.

Please forward this letter to any relatives, friends and contacts you have.

Thank you for all your love and support

Laura