The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association partnered with St. Clair College to recruit stem cell and bone marrow donors.
St. Clair College held a swab event at the Centre for the Arts on Thursday, November 17 to get people to join the stem cell and bonor marrow registry.
Joanne Bedard and her husband started the organization in 2005 after they lost their daughter, Katelyn, to leukemia. They have held swab events frequently throughout the years since. Their main goal is to make sure nobody has to go through what they did.
"There were no matches for her in the registry, so we decided that we wanted to try and help other people who were in the same situation," said Bedard.
The association works with OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, a division of the Canadian Blood Services, to get people registered to be stem cell and bone marrow donors. They also raise money to provide financial support to patients who are going through a transplant, as well as research in the field.
People who have diseases or conditions that prevent their body from making enough healthy blood cells may require stem cell transplants. To donate, blood is taken from the donor with a needle that flows into a centrifuge. This device filters out stem cells and then the remaining blood is injected back into the donor. The procedure normally takes place at a hospital and can take several hours.
Volunteers helped Bedard set up and run a booth at the Centre for the Arts from 10am to 2pm Thurday so students had an opportunity to get registered. The more people on the registry, the better the chance a donor can be found. Since you have to be between the ages of 17 and 34 to donate, the college was a perfect place to recruit.
"It's a no brainer to me why you wouldn't just do this," said Jordan Dekort, a University of Windsor student who registered at the college's swab event. "It takes 10 minutes of your day and you can possibly save multiple lives. It's for a really good cause."
You must be willing to donate to anyone in the world, be in general good health, have a government issued health card, and be willing to provide a cheek swab to determine your tissue type. You are also required to fill out a brief health questionnaire. After this process is complete, you will be put onto the registry.
There is currently a higher need for male and ethnically diverse donors. For more information on how to register and future events from the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association, visit their website.
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By Danielle Gagnier, St. Clair College Journalism Student