Patients waiting for stem cell matches are counting on Canadians

GivingTuesday to highlight umbilical cord blood bank campaign

NOVEMBER 28, 2014 (CANADA) – On “GivingTuesday,” Dec. 2, Canadian Blood Services is encouraging Canadians to help build a national public cord blood bank by making a financial donation to the $12.5 million Campaign For All Canadians fundraising campaign.

The organization is also inviting people to take and upload a selfie explaining why they support Canadian Blood Services with the hashtag #UNselfie (an unselfish “selfie”). 

“Just as Black Friday and Cyber Monday kick off the holiday shopping season, GivingTuesday is dedicated to philanthropy and marks the opening day of giving season,” says Margaret Miedema, director of fundraising with Canadian Blood Services.

“GivingTuesday is an excellent opportunity for the community phase of the Campaign For All CanadiansI . Building a national public cord blood bank will transform stem cell transplantation in Canada and help give patients access to a greater number of life-saving stem cells.”

Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells but in most cases in Canada, it is discarded as medical waste. A national public cord blood bank will create more transplant opportunities for patients waiting for a stem cell match and offer new hope of survival. 

Canadian Blood Services is one of more than 2,500 charities, businesses and communities across the country taking part this year in GivingTuesday. 

“As we saw in October during our official appeal for donors, the need for blood is constant. There’s also an ongoing need for people aged 17-35 to register as potential stem cell donors on our OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network,” says Miedema.  

“Now, Canadian Blood Services is building this country’s national public cord blood bank, with the help of generous Canadians. We need just under $2 million in donations to our campaign, to build this resource that will make more stem cells accessible to all Canadians. The exciting part is that throughout the day on GivingTuesday, TeraMach Technologies Inc. (Ottawa) will be matching donations to our campaign, up to $20,000. You can be a part of this important health care initiative with an online donation: https://www.blood.ca/en/ways-donate.” 

In March 2011, provincial and territorial ministries of health (except Quebec) announced a combined investment of $48 million, including $12.5 million in fundraising from Canadian Blood Services, to build a national public cord blood bank reflective of the unique needs and diversity of Canadian patients.

Quick Facts

• The demand for life-saving stem cell transplants has tripled over the past five years and continues to grow at a staggering rate.  
• Stem cells are immature cells that can turn into any of the cells present in the bloodstream. They’re currently used for treating more than 80 life-threatening blood-related diseases and disorders. 
• At any given time there are almost 1,000 Canadian patients looking for an unrelated stem cell match to survive.
• Approximately 75 per cent of patients rely on the generosity of an unrelated volunteer stem cell donor to save their life.
• Canada’s unique diversity presents a challenge in our ability to find stem cell matches for patients from our ethnically diverse communities, since a patient’s best match is often someone of similar ancestry.
• Cord blood stem cells have unique abilities that make them easier to use for transplantation; even when a match between donor and patient is not perfect.
• Canada’s national public cord blood bank will consist of two stem cell manufacturing facilities in Ottawa and Edmonton, with collection hospitals in Ottawa, Brampton, Edmonton and Vancouver.