When Charles was just six months old, he was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) - a genetic condition that affects the shape of red blood cells causing extreme pain crisis and potential organ damage.

Growing up, Charles spent a lot of his childhood in and out of hospitals, sometimes being hospitalized for months on end. When he turned 14, he started a new treatment plan where, every six weeks, he would receive donated red blood cells to replace his affected sickle shaped blood cells.

“Whenever I receive blood I can't help but look up at the bag and think about the donors who made it all possible. They saved my life!”

Charles has had over 100 blood replacement procedures and will need hundreds more throughout his life. There are many Canadians like Charles who will need blood for life.

In 2014, Tom was diagnosed with MDS (Myelodysplastic syndrome). It was this shocking diagnosis that inspired him to start building awareness within his community for the importance of joining the adult stem cell registry to give patients like himself better odds of finding a match for a stem cell transplant.