"You could be the OneMatch to save a life"
Laurier Save a Life Society (SLS), in partnership with Alpha Epsilon Pi, Sigma Beta Pi, Laurier University Charity Kouncil (L.U.C.K.) , and the Laurier Health Sciences Students Association present "Get Swabbed;" the Buccal Swab Drive.
On Tuesday, November 1st, join us in the Concourse to register in OneMatch - the Canadian Blood Network's Stem Cell and Marrow database.
Only 30% of people desperately waiting for a bone marrow transplant can find a match from within their immediate family. The other 70% must rely on unrelated donors found through networked organizations such as OneMatch. Increasing the number of registrants in the OneMatch database is vital to saving the lives of people young and old from devastating illnesses like Leukaemia and Lymphoma.
This year OneMatch is actively seeking male registrants. So boys, what's more impressive than saying that YOU saved a life?
Finally the GET SWABBED event is part of a two-week-long competition between Canadian Universities to see which school can add the most registrants to the OneMatch database. Golden Hawks, let's make sure we WIN this!
HOW DO I REGISTER?
1. Come to the WLU Concourse on Tuesday, November 1 between 8:00 am - 8:00 pm (that's 12 whole hours, there's no excuse not to make it out)!
2. Bring a piece of GOVERNMENT issued I.D. which shows that you're between the ages of 17 and 50.
3. Fill out some forms to prove you have a clean bill of health
4. Stick a GIANT q-tip in your mouth and SWAB away!
BONE MARROW MYTHS/FAQ's
Does registering mean that I will for sure be called up to donate?
No, the majority of people who register are never asked to donate, however having a larger database makes it much more likely that a patient in need will find a compatible donor.
What are stem cells?
Immature blood cells that are able to develop into different blood components such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
How does a stem cell transplant work?
A patient is generally given a high dose of medication to kill of their diseased stem cells. Healthy stem cells are then harvested from a donor (either from their peripheral blood or bone marrow) to replace their diseased cells.
Is it painful to donate?
No, the bone marrow cells are taken from the iliac crest (part of the pelvic bone) under general anesthetics, and the pain felt afterwards by the donor can be compared to the mild soreness experienced from falling on ice.
In the case of a peripheral blood donation, drugs may need to be taken by the donor to stimulate additional stem cell growth which can result in flu-like symptoms for the donor
Can I direct my donation to a patient of my choice?
The only effective way to find a matching donor for a given patient is to search a very large and diverse donor base of individuals who have agreed to donate stem cells to anyone in need. It is important that everyone on OneMatch has made that commitment.
I am not eligible to donate blood, can I still register?
The criteria for an eligible donor is different than that for blood donation. For example people who may be disqualified from blood donation for piercings, or travel can still be eligible to join the OneMatch database.
VOLUNTEERS
If you are interested in volunteering the day of the event please contact:
Heidi and Jordan at sls.laurier@gmail.com
More information on bone marrow donation and One Match can be found here:
http://onematch.ca/ and
http://www.facebook.com/onematchfb event link:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183331925080822