cheek swabA simple cheek swab can register potential donors of bone marrow and stem cells.

“Get Swabbed” event seeks ethnically diverse men

Organizers of “Get Swabbed,” Monday on the UWindsor campus, are encouraging students and staff to register as potential donors of bone marrow and stem cells.

The event is held by the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association, which was founded in 2005 by two grieving parents. Joanne and Bryan Bedard lost their daughter Katelyn to leukemia, after futile attempts to find a bone marrow donor.

“There were no matches,” recalls Joanne Bedard, explaining that Canada uses a national registry to find suitable donors. “The more people there are in the registry, the more chances there are to find a match.”

This year, the association is looking for male donors between the ages of 17 and 35 who come from different ethnic backgrounds. Currently, 72 per cent of the people on the registry are of European ancestry, making it harder for ethnically diverse individuals to find a match. For this reason, Bedard says that UWindsor is a great place to find donors.

Most importantly, Bedard says the association is looking for committed individuals. Once a person registers to be a potential donor, he or she will remain on the registry for several years.

The November 7 event takes place in the Centre for Engineering Innovation and the Toldo Health Education Centre from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association website.

—Loren Mastracci