Across the country, more than 800 Canadians are in desperate need of stem cell transplants to treat a wide variety of diseases and disorders including cancers such as leukemias, lymphomas and myelomas. For these patients, a stem cell donor may be their last chance for recovery from these serious, and often fatal, illnesses.

Sadly, fewer than 30 per cent of these Canadians are able to find a match within their own families—the rest rely on the generosity of donors who have registered with a national stem cell database.

But in a community like Scarborough, where 57 per cent of the population are immigrants to Canada, finding suitable matches is much more difficult. Because the genetic markers used to match donors to patients occur with different frequencies in different ethnic groups, broadening the base of ethnic donors is critical. Yet as of October 2008, 83 per cent of Canada’s stem cell network is Caucasian.

As part of The Scarborough Hospital’s vision of being recognized as a leader in providing the best healthcare for our global community, we are hosting a stem cell screening event to help increase the number of potential donors in the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. With the ethnic diversity of our community, as well as our own staff and physicians, we want to provide hope for patients in need of stem cell transplants from all backgrounds, in Scarborough and beyond.

If you are between 17 and 50 years of age, and in good health, registering in the OneMatch network is as simple as filling out a brief questionnaire and doing a quick, painless cheek swab. Volunteers will be available at the General campus of The Scarborough Hospital on Thursday, May 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the goal of swabbing as many potential donors as possible.

Statistics about stem cell transplants and our diverse population:

• The Chinese-Canadian population is one of the under-represented groups on the OneMatch Network, and Chinese languages are the third largest mother tongue spoken in Canada.
• As of October 2008, 83 per cent of Canada’s Network is Caucasian and the remaining 17 per cent is of various ethnic backgrounds. Yet one in five Canadians identifies themselves as foreign born according to the 2006 Census.
• About 73 per cent of new registrants have been Caucasian and 27 per cent listed as other ethnicities.
• In the past year, there have been more than 3,600 new registrants from non-Caucasian backgrounds. That’s an overall increase of 120 per cent in new donors from non-Caucasian backgrounds. We have seen the most growth in ethnic donors among the Asian and South Asian communities. For example, new Asian donors account for a 283 per cent increase from last year.

Sources: Canada Blood Services & Statistics Canada

For more information, please contact:
Kerry McLeish
Communications Officer
The Scarborough Hospital
Desk: (416) 438-2911 ext. 8090
Cell: (647) 968.4012
kmcleish@tsh.to