MANITOULIN—There are few more challenging issues to face a young family than when a parent is diagnosed with cancer. Medical science has made leaps and bounds in recent years, but there are still a great many challenges to overcome. One of those is finding a suitable stem cell donor for the parent’s treatment. That becomes even more challenging when the parent is Indigenous.
Popular Island sportsman Lyndon “Linny” Peltier is facing just such a challenge—and the clock is ticking.
“Lyndon’s best chance of finding a donor is within our Indigenous community because Indigenous people have a better chance of having a similar antigen in their blood cells,” notes Kendra Madahbee, Linny’s partner.
A call out has been issued to members of the Island’s (or beyond) Indigenous community members between the ages of 18 and 35 to step up for stem. It is a simple matter to discover if you could be a lifesaving match, nothing more invasive than a simple swab inside your mouth. The kit will even be delivered right to your door.
Stem cell transplants require a one-to-one genetic match between the patient and donor which can be hard to find. Canadian Blood Services is working hard to build a more diverse database of donors that better reflects the makeup of our nation.
Linny may be just one of 924 patients in need across Canada, but he is one of ours. There is only a 25 percent chance of a family member being a match, so the further the net is cast the better the chances of finding a successful match.
Simply scan the attached QR code to be taken to the website (blood.ca) or call 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283) to order a kit that could help save a life.
