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Nipissing Rotarian helps launch stem cell donor campaign to assist others

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Rotarian Colin Vickers wants to give back in hopes a local campaign will provide a new lease on life for someone else.

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Vickers is a “grateful” recipient of a stem cell transplant.

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“The transplant was needed and made available to him after intensive treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Today, just over a year after his transplant, he is feeling well and making good progress. The club supports him in his decision to “give back,” according to a media release issued Wednesday from The Rotary Club of Nipissing.

The Rotary Club of Nipissing in partnership with Canadian Blood Services and, with help from a wonderful advisory committee, is moving forward with a “campaign” to register potential stem cell donors.

“Stems cell transplants address several kinds of blood cancers as well as approximately 80 other medical conditions including Sickle Cell Anemia and, in some cases, Multiple Sclerosis.”

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“The need to find good matches among the list of matched unrelated donors (MUD) and patients exceeds what is available on the Canadian Blood Services registry and Hema Quebec Registry. In Colin’s situation, there was no MUD available in Canada. Thankfully, registries around the world are linked providing a match for him. There is a significant need to recruit more donors.”

To register as a donor, you need to be 17-35 years of age; complete a brief screening survey online; and, once you are screened, complete a cheek swab kit sent to you to do and then return it by mail.

Information about stem cell donation is available at https://blood.ca/rotary

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