Agency Renews Call For Aboriginal Stem Cell Donors

Agency Renews Call For Aboriginal Stem Cell Donors

Wednesday, September 01, 2010 at 14:30

A network for those needing stem cell transplants is calling on Aboriginal Canadians to donate.

The Canadian Blood Services OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network is trying to find a donor for a five-month-old baby in Ontario who was born with a rare genetic disorder.

Because her father is Aboriginal, it’s believed her best bet is an Aboriginal donor.

MaryLynn Pride with Canadian Blood Services says it takes only 10 minutes to register to be a donor.

Once registered, a mouth swabbing kit will be mailed to the person — a procedure Pride says isn’t invasive.

Pride says there is a great need for Aboriginal donors because there are eight other Aboriginal patients waiting for a stem cell transplant — and of the 260,000 people registered in the network, less than one per cent of those are Aboriginal.