This Mother’s Day, Canadian Blood Services wants Burnaby residents to roll up their sleeve or open wide for a cheek swab.
The Thanks Mom! Give Life campaign is stopping into Metropolis at Metrotown on Saturday, May 13. The initiative invites people to give four different ways – registering with OneMatch, the stem cell and marrow network; booking an appointment to donate blood; donating cord blood if you’re expecting; and registering as an organ donor.
“Mothers have given us life and we, in turn, can give life to others,” said volunteer Dr. Eileen Wong.
Wong told the NOW the last Thanks Mom! event in 2012 saw some 400 people register.
“We’re hoping to have as many as possible because this time we’re going from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.,” Wong said of the mall hours.
She added Burnaby was chosen for the campaign because of its multi-ethnic population.
OneMatch currently has 400,000 registrants across Canada, and more than 800 patients require stem cell transplants at any given time, according to Wong.
She said the stem cell campaign is targeting young people between the ages of 17 and 35, specifically males of mixed-race origin.
“Currently, more than 75 per cent (of registrants) are Caucasian; also, the vast majority are female, more than 60 per cent,” noted Wong. “For best transplant outcome, a male donor is preferred.”
Getting swabbed takes no time at all, she said.
“You answer a questionnaire, 10 to 15 minutes of your time, but it could lead to you saving someone’s life.”
To learn more, visit thanksmom.org.
