St. Joseph the Worker Church is hosting a stem cell drive for Martin Lintag, who has leukemia.
Organizers are asking anyone 17-35 to come swab their cheeks to see if they are a match this Saturday.
“Even if you’re not a match for Martin, you could be a match for someone else in the global registry. All that’s involved is a cheek swab. If you’re a match, it’s usually just a simple process of filtering some of your blood. Most people don’t need to give bone marrow anymore.”
The best chance of a match comes from people of the same ethnicity, but anyone can be a match. As of 2015, Southeast Asians, including people of Filipino descent, form less than two per cent of Canada’s database, and Canada does not access donors registered in the Phillipines.
Martin’s family already lost his only brother, Oscar Lintag.
The event is Nov. 24, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, 4451 Williams Rd. Call 778-828-9771 for information or go online to rcav.org/event/match4martin-adult-stem-cell-drive.
