Last year. I am on the list of the matched donation on stem cells. After long waiting and completed a lot of questionnaires, at last, the nurse told me they found a better match. So I am released.
I registered the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network in 2008, now its name is Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry.
Today I received another email from Blood Service.
The content of the email as below:
You joined the Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry (formerly known as the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network) on Tuesday, August 19, 2008. We can’t thank you enough!
Your ongoing commitment is an important driver for hope among the hundreds of patients in Canada, and thousands worldwide, who require a stem cell match from potential volunteer donors like you. Your commitment is so important because many of the selected donors on the registry do not carry through with donating their stem cells.
You may be familiar with the saying: “finding a needle in a haystack”. That is the reality for most of the patients in need of a lifesaving transplant. Fewer than 25 per cent of patients are successfully matched with someone who is a related family member. All other patients can only hope that a stranger, committed to donating their stem cells, will save their life.
Being on the registry is a long-term commitment. It could take months or years to get ‘the call’ that you are a match for a patient in need. Reaffirming your commitment to Canada’s stem cell registry, today, means there are better odds for patients seeking a lifesaving stem cell transplant. It means hope for patients and their loved ones.
Of course, I say yes to continue to remain on Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry.
It is always good to have a chance to help others, even it is a little bit harmful to my own body.
