On September 23, 2017, Shaye and I will be walking alongside friends and family in “Cheryls Run for Aplastic Anemia”.  Personally, we will be raising funds for the Stollery Children’s Hospital, and awareness for the One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Network.  These 2 organizations are so important to us for so many reasons.

if you wish to donate to the Stollery Children’s Hospital through this event, here is the link to our fundraising page

https://www.runningroom.com/dashboard/giving/?raceId=14207&eventId=42322&memberId=BWcHOFI0UzJUMQc0AzU=&lan=1

I didn’t know Cheryl Lynn Boyle, but she sounds like a strong woman surrounded by incredible people.  This run/walk is being organized by her friends and family to raise awareness for her condition and the Stem Cell Donor Registry (One Match), in addition to  raising funds for the Stollery Children’s Hospital which is where Cheryl worked worked in Paediatric Oncology.  Unfortunately, Cheryl lost her battle with Aplastic Anemia and complications from her Bone Marrow Transplant on Feb 1, 2017.

Why is it important to me to increase awareness of One Match donor registry?

As many of you know, I was the recipient of a PBSC Allogenic Stem Cell transplant on June 26, 2015.  What is a stem cell transplant?  Basically, sick cells in a a patient’s body are destroyed (like by destroyed, I mean obliterated with Chemo and radiation) and are replaced with new happy, fresh, functioning, healthy cells.

In an Allogenic transplant, these come from a donor.  I was lucky enough to have found a 10/10 match in my sister Christi.  There is only a 25% chance of a sibling being a match.  The better the match, the better the chance of a successful transplant, and less chance of post-transplant complications.  With 3 siblings ready and willing to be tested in my case (thank-you Cam (tested in Toronto), Christi, and Barb (tested in Sydney, AUS)), I still had only a 25% chance with each one.  I won the lottery.  So many do not, we hear about cases all the time, Shaye and I met people holding on to life by a thread waiting to find a donor.

“More than 80 per cent of Canadian patients receive stem cells from donors in other countries. At any given time, close to 1000 Canadian patients are waiting for a stem cell transplant,” said Canadian Blood Services Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Dr. Dana Devine

Why?  If a donor is found in another country, we have to send someone to that country to bring them back safely.  Wouldn’t it be easier and less taxing on our system to have more potential donors registered here in our own Country?

 

There are some myths about Stem Cell Donation that I feel are so important to talk about.

1st Myth– Anyone can register to be a donor in Canada.  The window is small.  17-35.  There is a larger need for males.

2nd Myth– All Stem Cell Donation is painful, requires surgery, and cutting into the bone marrow.  No.  There are 2 types of Stem Cell Donation.  The first (and most common) is through Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation (PBSC).  As the donor, you are given injections of a drug called G-CSF to increase the number of cells in your blood.  This can cause some flu-like symptoms, headache, and mild to moderate bone ache which normally subsides 24-48hrs after your donation.  There are no long term side effects known for this process.  The second type is through bone marrow donation.  This procedure is done under anesthetic.  A needle is passed through your pelvic bone and draws marrow out.  The process takes about 45-90 minutes.

 

Ok, so that’s my awareness part…now for the fundraising part.  The Stollery Children’s hospital and it’s doctors have played a huge roll in our family’s lives.  You can read more about our daughter Caylie’s story here:

https://followmytransplant.com/2015/05/22/caylies-story/

So, what can YOU do?

There will be a One Match tent at Cheryl’s Run for Aplastic Anemia on September 23.  Come down, get swabbed, and register as a donor.  You can also contact Canadian Blood Services for more information on becoming a blood or stem cell donor by visiting their website at

https://blood.ca/en/stem-cell/onematch-information-new-registrants

If you are interested in donating to the Stollery Children’s Hospital through this event, here is the link again to our fundraising page

https://www.runningroom.com/dashboard/giving/?raceId=14207&eventId=42322&memberId=BWcHOFI0UzJUMQc0AzU=&lan=1

Thank you all for taking the time to read, and continuing to love and support.

-T xo