Bone Marrow and Stem Cells
Join The Registry
I Joined The Registry...
If you have joined the Bone Marrow Registry add yourself to the "I Joined" list and let others know you have made a difference.
Click here to sign the"I Joined" guestbook
Here are the last few people that signed the guestbook:
I Joined!
John
Hamilton, ONTARIO
Joined 1990 (22 years)
"After more than 10 yrs on the list, I just got called as a match. Can't wait to be the chance that someone needed:)"
Lisa Arlotti
Tecumseh , ONTARIO
Joined 2011 (1 year)
Jill McAllister
Three Hills, ALBERTA
Joined 2000 (12 years)
"I joined afew years ago... I would be so proud to help a family in need!"
seth quiring
merlin, ON
Joined 2011 (1 year)
"loved it"
Alan Sheldrick
Mississauga, ONTARIO
Joined 2011 (1 year)
a complete list.
* People listed with a butterfly icon show that they were inspired to join the Bone Marrow Registry after visiting this website.
Video
Our YouTube video provides some basic information about the bone marrow registry and why it is critical that people of all ethnic backgrounds join the registry today.
Photos
Click any photo to view a larger size or check out our photo group HERE.
Twibbon
Help support our cause by adding this button to your website, blog, Twitter, or Facebook account.
News
Tuesday, January 24th 2012
OneMatch Recipient Story - Dr. Abhijit Guha
This is Dr. Guha's story. Dr. Guha was the driving force behind increased South Asian participation in blood and stem cell donation. Sadly, he lost his battle with leukemia on Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Dr. Guha was a respected community leader who fought courageously through his personal fight with leukemia to encourage all Canadian South Asians to make stem cell and blood donation a part of their civic responsibilities for all patients.
Tecumseh, Ontario Man Seeks Donor
A 54-year-old Tecumseh man finally celebrated Christmas with his family Saturday.
Ever since he was diagnosed last September with multiple myeloma - a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow - Jim Beneteau found his life reduced to a "slow pace" spiked with anxiety.
- Read the full story at The Windsor Star.
Tuesday, December 20th 2011
In Memory of Ken Roughton – Founding Board Member of Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association
Ken was a founding board member of the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association founded in July 2005 and has remained on the board to this day.
He played an important part in the early stages of the organization as a committee member of the Transplant Family Support Program. His input helped to formulate the principles and guidelines of the program and he was the liaison person for the program at the Windsor Cancer Clinic.
Ken strongly advocated for people to join the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network through his many connections in Windsor, Hamilton and Toronto. He also encouraged those eligible to donate blood as he knew the value of both of these gifts of life.
In 2006, Ken was instrumental in the production of a Wellness Brochure designed, published, printed, and distributed ( to over 23,000 households) by the Chrysler Wellness Committee. The 4-page brochure highlighted the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association , the pressing need for registration of potential bone marrow donors and a description of the process in becoming a donor.
On the fundraising front, Ken was the pivotal key in organizing and directing the proceeds from the John Fox Memorial Charity Golf Tournament to the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association. It was always a great day of golf, camaraderie and excellent food. Over a span of 4 years $20,000.00 was raised for our association. Ken supported and was present at all other fundraising events which included our Annual Bowl-a-thon « Throw a Strike for the Gift of Life » - so named by Ken and unanimously approved by the board!
For the past couple of years Ken’s health did not permit him to attend all board meetings; however, he always responded by e-mail and provided very valuable input and sage advice on all matters. He truly made a difference and made an impact in the lives of many.
Ken was a very affable man, kind hearted, sincere, soft spoken and caring. He was a man of integrity and extremely intelligent. We will miss him and our hearts are heavy with the loss of our dear friend. Rest peacefully Ken, and we know that you are now free from your pain and suffering and safe in the arms of Jesus.
Our most sincere condolences to Ken’s sons Brad, Ben and Matthew, his mother, sisters, and extended family members.
Bryan, Joanne, Rene and Melba Bedard
On behalf of the
Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association
- Read the full story at The Windsor Star.
Tuesday, November 1st 2011
Father Wages Bone Marrow Campaign in Daughter's Memory
November 1st marks the beginning of Bone Marrow Awareness Month and to help kick it off Universities across Ontario will be holding Get Swabbed University Challenges. More than 900 people across Canada are still searching for a bone marrow donor, last year more than 250 students registered at the University of Windsor and Bryan Bedard the father of Katelyn Bedard hopes to get 300 this year.
"First hand we experienced the tragedy of when there's not that matching person ... so we need to get more people registered and we'll save even more lives."
The University of Windsor event will be held on Tuesday at the CAW Student Centre, 401 Sunset Ave. from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, October 18th 2011
Canadian Blood Services Needs Blood Donations Now
Try their new online appointment booking system! It is so easy. Go to www.blood.ca to book your appointment today. Are you a blood donor and would like to help the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association?
Join our team and help us save lives! Give blood!
To join our team:
- Go to www.blood.ca/partnersforlife
- Click "Join Partners for Life"
- Click "Member"
- Click "Sign me up to donate with my team!"
- Complete the form and click "Submit"
Our Partner ID is : KATE007939
New donors can join our team after their 1st donation.
Wednesday, September 28th 2011
Summer Fundraising Success
Our summer fundraising events were a huge success again this year and we are truly thankful for all of the participants, volunteers and sponsors. We were blessed with beautiful weather at our outdoor events and we were left with memories of smiling faces and lots of laughs. Here is a recap of our summer fundraisers:
Day To Remember - June 4
The 8th annual golf tournament held at Wardsville Golf Club was a day of celebration to honour the lives of children who have lost their battle with cancer, those who are presently battling the disease and cancer survivors as well as other local children with life threatening illnesses. The morning started off overcast but the afternoon was full of sunshine with a high above 28 degrees. 116 people golfed 18 holes. 20 people came for supper only. Proceeds of the tournament to Camp Trillium and Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association. Our association received $7,100 in support of bone marrow transplant patients. Sincere thanks to Mike and Sandra Rombouts and the entire Day to Remember planning committee.
John Fox Memorial - July 23
In memory of a dear friend John Fox, the 10th annual golf tournament was held at Tilbury Public Course. More than 60 golfers enjoyed 18 challenging holes followed by a delicious rib and chicken dinner. Over $4,000 was raised for KBBMA at this event. Special thanks to Ken Roughton, Dennis Kelly and the entire John Fox Memorial planning committee.
Bowling for Bone Marrow - August 27
The 6th annual Bowling for Bone Marrow, "Throw a Strike for the Gift of Life" took place at Bowlero in Windsor and raised more than $22,000. More than 150 bowlers and volunteers were on hand to enjoy an afternoon of family fun with a magician, a clown, face painting, kid's games and lots of wonderful prizes. Thank you to everyone that came out and thank you to all of our generous sponsors:
Premier Sponsors
- National Bank Financial Group
- VIA Rail Canada
- Laura White – State Farm
- Scotiabank - Amy Croft Drive
- Avatar Software Creations Inc.
- Joan Gray
- JogTracker.com
Premier Sponsors
- Windsor East Kiwanis
- Diane Santing – Edward
- Jones
- Anthony Leardi, Barrister &
- Solicitor
- Nantais Source for Sports
- Windsor Pro Clean Services
- Ground Effects Ltd.
- In Memory of Anne Marie
- Souchereau
- In Memory of Marie Martin
- Sherdil Precision Inc.
- Gib & Arlene Williams
- L&H Diversified
- Manufacturing Inc.
- Medel Brothers Quality
- Meats & Deli
- In Memory of Paul Senay
- Alliance Windsor Insurance
- Brokers
- Cardinal Carter Catholic
- Secondary School
- Brad Bondy – Re/Max
- Preferred Realty
- Walmart 1072 Amherstburg
- Ravine Cottages
- Jeremie Bornais – K of C
- Insurance
- Ron Deneau – Bob Pedler
- Real Estate
- Knights of Columbus #2844
- – McGregor
- In Loving Memory Shelby
- Gagne
- Lacasse Printing
- Ted & Cindy Williams
- Ivanhoe Cambridge
- Meridian Credit Union
- In Memory of Hannah Young
- CAW Local 1973
- CAW Local 444
- Natalie’s Team
- Boodles of Baskets
- Bondy Insurance
- McGregor Squirettes of Mary
- Randy Barron CGA
- Gisele Sutton – Re/Max
- Preferred Realty
- T.J.’s Service Ltd. – Dean
- Bondy
- Jason Barron – K of C
- Insurance
- Mark’s Drapery Installations
- Chummettes Ladies
- Auxilliary
- St. Clair College Student
- Athletic Association
- St. Clair College Alumni
- Darryl & Paula Matthew
Prize Sponsors
- The Hungry Wolf Restaurant
- The Keg – Devonshire Mall
- Costco
- Debbie Simone – Avon
- Annette Martin
- Angela Williams
- Edythe Williams
- Willabee’s Clothing Store
- Montana’s
- Kelsey’s Walker Road
- La Rocca Italian Restaurant
- Cora Lakeshore
- Windsor Family Credit Union
- Sutton Creek Golf & Country Club
- Jason Barron – K of C Insurance
- Silver Stitch Embroidery
- Canadian Tire – Walker Road
- McGregor Home Hardware
- Ground Effects Ltd.
- Alliance Windsor Insurance
- Brokers
- Beth Churchmack
- Joan Gray
- Cathy Bondy and friends
Thursday, September 8th 2011
National Bank Charity Fun Run
The annual Charity Run is approaching, and the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is again a competing charity and this year we are setting up our info table and children’s game area at the event.
Several charities will be represented at the event, and the charity that raises the most money receives additional cash prizes from the National Bank. So dust off the running shoes, do some stretching, and let the race begin!
Event Details:
- The 2011 Charity Challenge
- Sunday September 18, 2011
- Chrysler Building - Riverside Dr. & Ouellette Ave.
- Windsor, Ontario
- 9:00 AM
- Kid's Dash
- Kid's Kilometre
- 9:15 AM
- 8K Run
- 3K Run/Walk
- Download Pledge Form PDF
- Register Online at The Running Factory
Friday, July 8th 2011
Stem Cell Breakthrough Raises Hope Of Ending Hunt For Bone Marrow
Some exciting news was published in today's Globe and Mail:
It’s been a 50-year-old dream, and a 23-year hunt, but the immortal mother cell behind the billions of new blood cells humans make every day has at last been discovered – raising the possibility of growing a new blood system for any patient who needs it.
Scientists at Toronto’s University Health Network say they have finally captured the prized stem cell that endlessly replenishes human blood, a cell so powerful that one is enough to regenerate a human blood supply in a mouse.
Thursday, July 7th 2011
6 Year Old Raising Money For Sick Little Girl
Six-year-old Dmitri Rosescu holds up a photo of Emma Predinchuk, a Calgary baby waiting for a bone marrow transplant, in his home in Regina. He is drawing pictures and selling them to raise money for her.
Photograph by : Bryan Schlosser, Postmedia News
Tuesday, June 14th 2011
Swab Event
Tuesday, June 21 - 2 PM to 6 PM
Location: Season's Lakeshore
1700 County Road 22
Belle River, On
Each year, hundreds of Canadians are in need of stem cell transplants to treat potentially life-threatening illnesses. Fewer than 30% of patients will find a compatible donor from family member, 70% rely on the generosity of an unrelated donor for available sources of stem cells. Many unfortunately fall into this group and to survive, they must receive a stem cell transplant as do the more than 800 other patients in Canada.
Please join the registry.
Click here to view the PDF for the event.
Alice Pyne's "Bucket List" Goes Global
her beloved pet labrador Mabel, which
features twice in her ‘bucket list’.
Photo courtsy
of The Westmorland Gazette
Fifteen-year-old Alice Pyne who suffers from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma has created her "bucket list" from her hospital bed. Among the 17 items listed she would like everyone to sign up to be a bone marrow donor.
Alice's hope has made its way to Parliament where MP John Woodcock spoke during Prime Minister's Question Time, "“At the top of the list is a call to make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor, so we will work with the leader of the opposition to address why too few people are currently on this life-saving register?”
Wednesday, March 23rd 2011
Get Swabbed Windsor!
Join the One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Network and you could save a life!
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association will host a swab event outside the Augustus Ballroom at Caesars Windsor on Sunday, April 3rd from 7pm until 10pm. The swab event will be held in conjunction with the "Dancing With The Local Stars" event hosted by the Better World Today Association.
There are currently over 800 Canadians waiting for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. It is their only hope for survival and you could be the match they need.
Healthy adults between 17-50 can join. Bring your health card! It takes only 10 minutes to register.
This event is open to the general public, employees and guests of the Casino.
- For more information on joining the registry, visit www.onematch.ca.
- For more information on "Dancing With the Local Stars", visit www.bwta.ca.
Tuesday, March 15th 2011
Local Residents "Get Swabbed" for Bone Marrow Research
By Ron Giofu/The Amherstburg Echo
Photo courtesy The Amherstburg Echo
Approximately 75 people swabbed at event presented in River Canard
RIVER CANARD — The Knights of Columbus Council 5642 offered residents a chance to get swabbed and get a meal in the same visit.
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association (KBBMA) held a "Get Swabbed! Event and Pasta Fundraiser" last Saturday at the K of C Hall in River Canard. Volunteers helped the public swab their cheeks in order to get enrolled in the global bone marrow registry. Chris Dumouchelle, wife of Council 5642 Grand Knight Clarence Dumouchelle, said events like Saturday play an vital role.
"It's very important. I'm actually waiting for a donation. I'm on the list for a stem cell transplant," said Dumouchelle, an Amherstburg resident who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2004.
Dumouchelle added that the couple spread the word as much as they could through the K of C, the church and the community. She said that bone marrow donations have advanced to where it is more like a donation of blood.
"We just wanted to get the awareness out there," she said.
"We want to find donors," added Clarence. "If we don't find one for Chris, we can find one for someone else."
Bryan Bedard, president of the KBBMA, said the seven-hour event was geared towards getting people registered on the bone marrow registry. He said people in good health ranging in age from 17-50 are ideal candidates to get swabbed.
The organization is named for Bedard's daughter, who was unable to find a match. He said people can even swab themselves by applying online at www.onematch.ca.
"You never know when a match is going to save someone's life," said Bedard.
There are roughly 800 Canadians seeking a bone marrow transplant, including three in Windsor-Essex County. Bedard said ethnic diversity is important as matches are generally found between people of different ethnic groups.
"It's primarily Caucasian," he said of the registry.
The event also featured Canadian Blood Services in an effort to promote blood donations as well. Blood transfusions are important during a transplant surgery.
Funds raised during Saturday's event will go to the KBBMA's ongoing efforts to fund public awareness as well as provide support for patients who lose income due to ongoing medical needs, even after surgery.
In all, approximately 75 people were swabbed. The K of C Council 5642 donated $1,915 including proceeds from the pasta dinner as well as a $1,000 donation from the council itself.
Canada’s First National Cord Blank Bank is Funded
Ottawa - March 14, 2011 - Provincial and territorial ministries of health (except Québec) announced today a combined investment of $48 million over the next eight years, including $12.5 million in fundraising, to create a national public umbilical cord blood bank that will provide Canadian patients with greater access to cord blood units. This is a significant investment in a much needed national healthcare resource.
"We have long recognized the need for our own publicly-funded umbilical cord blood bank," says Nova Scotia Minister of Health and Wellness Maureen MacDonald, on behalf of the provinces and territories. "This represents a substantial public investment today in life-saving treatments that will benefit Canadian patients and the country's healthcare system for the long term."
A national public solution is especially important for Canadian patients because of the country's ethnically diverse population. About 70 per cent of patients who require a stem cell transplant must look outside of their families for a match and have the best chance of finding it within their own ethnic group. A national, public umbilical cord blood bank will improve the chance of finding high-quality cord blood for Canadian patients.
The cord blood bank will be developed and managed by Canadian Blood Services, on behalf of the provinces and territories except Québec, which runs its own cord blood banking program through Héma-Québec. Canadian Blood Services was chosen to manage this project because of in-house expertise developed by its OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network and the organization's existing national presence and success as a trusted healthcare partner.
"Currently, more than 800 Canadian patients are in need of a blood stem cell transplant to help them combat life threatening diseases such as aplastic anaemia, leukemia, and other blood related and immune disorders," says Dr. Graham Sher, CEO Canadian Blood Services. "Umbilical cord blood is a high-quality source of stem cells and a national bank will create a long-term supply that will help reduce Canada's dependency on internationally sourced units."
This comprehensive national model will be implemented over eight years in order to achieve a target inventory of 20,000 cord blood units and will include two accredited cord blood stem cell labs and a collections network across Canada (except Québec).
This approval also includes a significant public fundraising campaign to be implemented by Canadian Blood Services over the next three years to raise $12.5 million of the investment. This campaign will begin immediately and will build on national support for a public cord blood bank.
Phase 1 of this project will take place in Ottawa over the next two years. It will develop and implement procedures required to achieve a national public umbilical cord blood bank. In addition, a cord blood stem cell laboratory will be established at Canadian Blood Services' facilities in Ottawa.
Parents in many Canadian communities will then have the opportunity to donate their children's umbilical cords anonymously to a public umbilical cord blood bank, making their donations available for any patient in need.
Phase 2 will see the project expand nationally to have collections of cord blood in Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto and Edmonton hospitals along with a second lab in Edmonton by 2016.
Cord blood has the advantage of producing less graft-versus-host disease in patients and more possible matching and improving the chances of finding matches for patients from ethnic minorities, patients who need a transplant immediately, or those patients with rare or unique HLA typing who cannot find a perfect match.
More press:
Monday, March 14th 2011
A Match Found for Calgary Boy
This is the type of news that the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is excited to share. A perfect match as been found for 7 year-old Noel Young. The donor is a 21 year-old man from the US. Finding a perfect match is the ultimate goal for those 849 Canadian patients that are still looking. Please join the registry and help others who are searching.
Click here to read the full article in the Calgary Herald.
Monday, March 7th 2011
Calgary Boy, 7 Looking for a Bone Marrow Donor
Noel Robillard, 7 has a rare immune disorder and needs a bone marrow transplant. He has chronic granulomatous disease that attacks his gastrointestinal tract. He has already had his colon removed and is now in need of a bone marrow transplant.
To read more about Noel at www.cbc.ca, click here.
Friday, February 18th 2011
Get Swabbed! and Pasta Fundraiser
Saturday, March 12 - 1 PM to 8 PM
Click here or image for larger version.
Friday, January 28th 2011
Grandma Walks Cross-Country Promoting Bone Marrow Donation Awareness
Jeana Moore, 58 of Washington has spent the last 15 months walking cross-country from Seattle to New York to raise awareness for bone marrow donations. Her 3-year old granddaughter’s life was saved from a bone marrow transplant. She asks that you learn about joining a registry and not wait until something happens to a loved one.
To learn about becoming part of a registry click one of the links below:
Click here to read her story in the nydailynews.
Thursday, January 20th 2011
Get Swabbed! St. Clair College
Students, Staff and members of the public are welcome to register with the One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Network. The event is hosted by the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association and the St Clair College Student Representative Council. Canadian Blood Services will be available to help you determine "What's Your Blood Type".
Date: Monday, January 24th
Location: St. Clair College (North end of cafeteria in the Multi-Purpose Room)
Hours: 9am - 3pm
Eligibility: Healthy Adults between 17-50 with a Canadian Health Card
Monday, January 10th 2011
A Brother’s Tale of Bone-Marrow Donation
Read Peter Gorrie’s story of his stem cell donation experience that saved his brother’s life.
"The call from Princess Margaret Hospital came on a morning in late January last year. I was told I was a match for a bone-marrow transplant for my older brother, Jim, and asked if I was willing. This was neither a decision nor an obligation. I wanted Jim to get well and a transplant offered the only hope."
Click below to read the full article.
Monday, November 8th 2010
KBBMA Signs Agreement with OneMatch
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is proud to announce the signing of an agreement with Canadian Blood Services OneMatch Stem Cell & Marrow Network to become their official partner in Windsor and Essex County. The agreement was signed in Toronto at Queen’s Park on Thursday, November 4th 2010. “We are honoured to sign the agreement with OneMatch and become a trusted partner in the Windsor-Essex region where we strive to reach potential donors from diverse ethnic groups,” says Bryan Bedard, President of the association.
Queen's Park to Honour Windsor Girl's LegacyKatelyn's Legacy Honoured
November is Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Awareness Month in the Province of Ontario
A three-year-old local girl left a legacy that could soon be felt across Ontario.
Yesterday, Essex MPP Bruce Crozier tabled his Private Member’s Bill, “An Act to Make the Month of November Bone Marrow Awareness Month” at Queen's Park, honouring Katelyn Bedard.
Bryan and Joanne Bedard – Katie’s parents and founders of the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association – made the trip to Toronto with half a dozen volunteers to hear the second reading of Bill 80, also know as the "Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Awareness Month Act".
Their hope is that the declaration will encourage others to join the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network.
In conjunction with the reading, OneMatch will be on hand to sign an agreement with the association making them official partners.
Throughout the day, members of the legislature, staff, and visitors had the opportunity to join the Marrow Network.
"This day is significant for our association on multiple fronts,” Bryan explained. “We are honoured to sign the agreement with OneMatch and become a trusted partner in the Windsor-Essex region where we strive to readh potential donors from diverse ethnic groups. The reading of bill 80 is an important show of support from our MPPs and brings added legitimacy to our cause."
The 'Get Swabbed!' challenge takes place on Wednesday, November 10 at the University of Windsor's CAW Student Centre from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This first-ever national challenge involves 15 universities across Canada.
Organizers hope students, staff and members of the public between the ages of 17-50 with a Canadian health card will register.
KBBMA was founded in July 2005 by the Bedards after Katie was unable to find a bone marrow donor and lost her battle with leukemia.
Additional articles about the awareness bill:
- Windsor Star
- Toronto Star
- Bruce Crozier - Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Awareness Month Act Becomes Law
- French CBC Radio Interview
Friday, November 5th 2010
Get Swabbed! Challenge coming to U of Windsor
15 universities across Canada will compete for the winning title in the 1st National "Get Swabbed! Challenge". The challenge will invite as many students, professors, university staff, and community members as possible to register for the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network during swabbing events held on each university campus.
The challenge began when McMaster University student Dustin Shulman and his fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi challenged their fellow students to join the registry in November 2009. The first- ever 'Get Swabbed!' event garnered 754 new registrants on the Network.
Bryan Bedard, president of the local Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association (KBBMA) stated, "Losing our daughter Katie because she couldn’t find a match was heartbreaking. Our hope is that everyone who needs a match will find one."
Schools from several provinces will participate, including among others McMaster University, Carleton University, Queens University, Algoma University, University of Alberta, and Memorial University.
In Windsor, the "Get Swabbed! University Challenge" takes place on November 10th at the University's CAW Student Centre from 9am until 6pm. Volunteers from the association will be on hand in Windsor to assist those wishing to join the Network. They hope to register students, staff and members of the public between the ages of 17 and 50. Potential donors must have a Canadian health card. Individuals from all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to join as there is a pressing need for minority donors. 798 Canadians are currently searching for a match, and in Ontario, there are 350 patients waiting for a match.
Queen's Park to Honour Windsor Girl's Legacy
A three-year-old Windsor girl left a legacy that could soon be felt across the province. On Thursday, November 4th, Essex MPP Bruce Crozier will table his private member's bill, "An Act to Make the Month of November Bone Marrow Awareness Month" in the Ontario Legislature honouring Katelyn Bedard.
Bryan and Joanne Bedard, Katie's parents and founders of the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association (KBBMA) will make the trip to Toronto with half a dozen volunteers to hear the 2nd reading of bill 80, also known as the "Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Awareness Month Act". Their hope is that the declaration will encourage others to join the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. In conjunction with the reading, OneMatch will be on hand to sign an agreement with the association making them official partners. Throughout the day, members of the Legislature, staff and visitors will have the opportunity to join the Network.
Bryan Bedard, president of the association stated, "This day is significant for our association on multiple fronts. We are honoured to sign the agreement with OneMatch and become a trusted partner in the Windsor-Essex region where we strive to reach potential donors from diverse ethnic groups. Reading of Act bill 80 is an important show of support from our MPPs and brings added legitimacy to our cause."
A second event, the "Get Swabbed! University Challenge" takes place on November 10th at the University of Windsor’s CAW Student Centre from 9am until 6pm. The 1st ever National Challenge involves 15 universities across Canada. Volunteers from KBBMA will be on hand in Windsor to assist those wishing to join the Network. The organizers hope students, staff and members of the public between the ages of 17-50 with a Canadian health card will register. They hope to attract members of Windsor's diverse ethnic community as there is a pressing need for minority donors.
Monday, October 18th 2010
5th Annual Bowling for Bone Marrow a "Strike"
The 5th Annual Bowling for Bone Marrow on August 28, 2010 proved to be the best one so far, eclipsing the amount raised in previous years by bringing in $25,000 in support of stem cell and bone marrow transplant patients. More than 145 bowlers were on hand for an afternoon of laughs, strikes, gutter balls and more. Thank you to each and every person that collected pledges and took time on a beautiful summer afternoon to participate. Our sincere thanks to the many sponsors that made the
 |
 |
 |
Click here to view more photos.
Premier Sponsors
- Avatar Software Creations Inc.
- National Bank Financial Group
- Laura White – State Farm
- Scotiabank - Amy Croft Drive
- Joan Gray
- CAW Local 1973
Lane Sponsors
- Windsor East Kiwanis
- Diane Santing – Edward Jones
- Ann Pignal – State Farm
- Anthony Leardi
- Nantais Source for Sports
- Windsor Pro Clean Services
- Desjardins Credit Union
- Ground Effects Ltd.
- Briadco Tool & Mold Inc.
- Marilyn A. Laframboise
- Sherdil Precision Inc.
- Gib & Arlene Williams
- L&H Diversified Manufacturing Inc.
- Medel Brothers Quality Meats & Deli
- In Memory of Paul Senay
- Alliance Windsor Insurance Brokers
- Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School
- Brad Bondy – Remax Preferred Realty
- Walmart 1072 Amherstburg
- Ravine Cottages
- Jeremie Bornais – K of C Insurance
- Rob Deneau – Bob Pedler Real Estate
- Knights of Columbus #2844 – McGregor
- Future Stars Sports Photography
- In Loving Memory Shelby Gagne
- Windsor Family Credit Union
- Lacasse Printing
- Ted & Cindy Williams
- Ivanhoe Cambridge
Prize Sponsors
- The Hungry Wolf Restaurant
- The Keg – Devonshire Mall
- Costco
- Sutton Creek Golf & Country Club
- Arcata Pizzeria – Dougall Road
- McGregor Home Hardware
- Jason Barron – K of C Insurance
- Dollars & Cents Investments
- Rexall Pharma Plus Stores #1909
- St. Clair College Athletic Dpt.
- B2 Hair Studios
- Andrea Sulyok – National Bank
- Debbie Simone – Avon
- Annette Martin
- Angela Williams
- Edythe Williams
- Miriam Williams
- Gary and Gloria Gribble
- Jake and Angela DeBoer
- Beth Churchmack
- Paul Hasilo – Axxa
- Diane Smith
- Cathy Bondy
- Michelle Malo
- Florence Senay
- M&M Meat Shops – A’Burg
Thank You to our Golfers
The John Fox Memorial was held on Saturday, May 29, 2010 at Tilbury Golf Club. We were blessed with picture perfect golf weather and a course in spectacular condition. The 60+ golfers on hand enjoyed an afternoon of great shots, laughter and delicious food, resulting in over $4,000 raised in support of KBBMA. Our heartfelt thanks to all of the golfers and generous sponsors making this event a wonderful success again this year. Special thanks to Ken Roughton and Dennis Kelly and the rest of the organizing committee for selecting KBBMA as a benefactor of this special event in memory of John Fox.
The 7th Annual 2010 Day to Remember Charity Golf Tournament took place on Saturday, June 5, 2010 at Wardsville Golf and Country Club. This special afternoon is a wonderful tribute to the hundreds of children treated for cancer in Southwestern Ontario each year. We are humbled to be a recipient of proceeds from this tournament along with Camp Trillium. Together, golfers and sponsors rose over $6,000 in support of KBBMA. Our sincere thanks to Mike and Sandra Rombouts and the entire Day to Remember committee for choosing our association as a benefactor of this event.
Wednesday, October 13th 2010
Family of a Toronto Woman Needs Help to Finance Treatment
A 27 year old Toronto woman, Alexis Wronzberg was originally diagnosed with A.L.L about 5 years ago. Her leukemia returned last year. Even after receiving a bone marrow transplant in February the leukemia has once again returned. Her only hope is an experimental surgery, a trial that can only be performed in Israel. The family is trying to raise $300,000.00 US to give Alexis her last hope.
Please read the full article in the National Post.
Monday, October 4th 2010
Daily News Reporter Talks About Donating Stem Cells
Anthony Connors, a reporter for the Daily News joined the Bone Marrow Registry after being inspired from a story of six year-old girl, Jasmina Anema who died from a severe form of Leukemia. In June, he found out that he was a possible match.
If you are curious to know what it is like to donate stem cells please read the full article in the New York Daily News.
Wednesday, September 29th 2010
B.C Man Looking For a Bone Marrow Donor
Richard Clark, 39 of Abbotsford B.C has been diagnosed with leukemia for the second time. He was initially diagnosed in June 2009 and received chemotherapy for six months. With only a 30 percent change that the cancer would return, the prognosis was good. Now he will undergo aggressive chemotherapy to keep him in remission until a bone marrow donor is found. Without the transplant, the leukemia will return. His family is asking that anyone between the age of 17 and 50 to consider joining the One Match Stem Cell Marrow Network.
Click here to read the full article on the Cape Breton Post.
Thursday, September 2nd 2010
Regina's Mandi Schwartz Receives Stem Cell Transplant from Cord Blood
The 22-year old from Regina, who played hockey for Yale University was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in December 2008. Her family started a campaign "Become Mandi's Hero", to find bone marrow and cord blood donors.
On Wednesday Mandi received a stem-cell transplant from two umbilical-cord donors. Now Mandi and her family wait and hope that transplant will work.
Click here to read the full article on www.sportsnet.ca
Thursday, September 2nd 2010
Undeniable Bond
Chelsea was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia when she was 8 years old. Unfortunately the treatments could not keep her in remission. It is a miracle that a match was found for Chelsea quickly. When she was 10 years old she received a bone marrow transplant that saved her life. After being in remission for 16 years, she finally had the chance to meet her donor.
Click here to read more at mississauga.com.
Wednesday, August 25th 2010
Save A Latin Life holds Awareness and Registration Event
There is an urgent need for bone marrow registrants among Canada's Hispanic community. While bone marrow patients are more likely to find a donor within their own ethnic group, 82% of people on the bone marrow registry are Caucasian. Only 18% represent all other ethnicities, which is why Save a Latin Life recently held a stem cell awareness and registration event focusing on the Latin American community. The event, held in honour of Nidia Yoana Davis, a Mississauga Convention Cente employee who is battling leukemia, offered food and live entertainment, while helping to dispel myths about the registration and donation processes.
Click here to read more at mississauga.com.
Tuesday, August 17th 2010
Hoping For Good News
Last month we reported that 20-year old David Smyth from Hamilton, Ontario was searching for a bone marrow donor. Last week, his doctors received three samples from an international registry. They are hoping that one of the samples, which is from Germany is a match.
Click here to read the full article in The Star.
Friday, July 30th 2010
Trent University Student Searching for a Match
Today David Smyth is turning 20 and hoping for the best birthday present, a bone marrow donor. He has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. At six months old, David was diagnosed with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, which causes bone marrow to dysfunction which has lead to leukemia. The leukemia is on David’s spine and causing him to lose feeling from the waist down.
Please help in finding David a match by joining the One Match Stem Cell Registry (www.blood.ca) and spreading awareness to your family and friend.
To read the full article in The Peterborough Examiner, click here
Wednesday, July 28th 2010
Plead For Blood Donations
As summer is in full swing Windsor’s Canadian Blood Services has a potential shortage of blood donations. They are already short 10,000 appointments of filling the 137,000 units of blood needed between now and September 11th. Please call 1-888-236-6283 to donate. Click here to read the full article in the Windsor Star.
Tuesday, July 20th 2010
Swab Event at Hispanic Fiesta
Save a Latin Life, a community group based in Toronto will be hosting a swab event at Toronto's annual Hispanic Fiesta the weekend of September 4-5. Tissue type is inherited and ethnicity plays an important role in matching stem cell donors. There is a pressing need for hispanic donors and Save a Latin Life is working hard to spread the word within the community.
Hispanic Fiesta
Mel Lastman Square
5100 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
Saturday, September 4, 2010 and Sunday, September 5, 2010
Click HERE to download a flyer for this event and information in Spanish about bone marrow and stem cell donation.
Thursday, May 20th 2010
In The Fight For Her Life
Mandi Schwartz has proven herself to be a fighter on and off the ice.
And now she's in what a friend calls "literally in the fight of her life."
With the help of family and friends, the 22-year-old Schwartz is taking on cancer.
In December 2008, Schwartz was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. After five grueling rounds of chemotherapy and a lengthy 130-day hospital stay in Regina, she was declared cancer-free. In January of this year, Schwartz's teammates on the Yale University Bulldogs women's hockey team warmly welcomed her back to school and the rink as she resumed her studies in medicine.
But on April 22, as Yale was hosting its second bone marrow drive, Schwartz was on a plane home to Regina.
She had learned from a routine blood exam a couple of days prior that she had relapsed and the cancer had returned. Currently, Schwartz is in hospital in Regina and has just finished her first round of chemotherapy, said Dr. Ted Collins, immunologist and her doctor at Yale University.
Click here to read more on Mandi in the Leader-Post.
Thursday, May 13th 2010
Manitoba Women Dies Waiting for a Bone Marrow Donor
A Manitoba aboriginal woman battling leukemia has died while waiting on an extremely slim chance of finding a bone-marrow donor to save her life.
Chantelle Chornoby, 21, died over the weekend. She first beat cancer when she was 10, but fought leukemia since 2007.
Canadian Blood Services estimates that only 0.9% of the 249,000 potential donors registered in their database are aboriginal.
Click here to read more in the Winnipeg Free Press.
Tuesday, May 11th 2010
New Bone Marrow Transplant Method to Ease Risk
WASHINGTON - Bone marrow transplants are undergoing a quiet revolution: No longer just for cancer, research is under way to ease the risks so they can target more people with diseases from sickle cell to deadly metabolic disorders.
The old way: High doses of radiation and chemotherapy wipe out a patient's own bone marrow before someone else's is infused to replace it, hopefully before infection strikes.
The new way: Rather than destroying the patient's bone marrow, just tamp it down enough to make space for the donated marrow to squeeze in alongside and a sort of twin immune system takes root. It's what doctors taking a page from mythology call "mixed-cell chimerism" — patient and donor blood and immune cells living together to improve health. Click here to read the full article on msn.com
Monday, Apr 19th 2010
Toddler’s Bone Marrow Transplant Delayed by Ash Cloud
A little girl from the UK is in an extremely vulnerable state as she is waiting for her bone marrow transplant. The donation is coming from Canada . This girl is one of 16 patients waiting for this life-saving procedure. The longer the flight disruption continues, the likely this number will rise. Click here to read more from The Sun.
Wednesday, Mar 31th 2010
Congratulations to OneMatch and the Other Half
A stem cell drive held last Saturday in Toronto and Vancouver attracted thousands. The goal was to register between 1,500 and 2,000. This historic drive had 4,025 people sign up as donors with One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Network. To read more on the success of this event see below.
Friday, Mar 26th 2010
Awareness Is the Issue
How did you hear about the need for bone marrow or stem transplants? How did you learn about the Bone Marrow Registry? Sadly, most find out when a loved one is in need of a transplant. It is organizations like the Canadian Blood Services, Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association, Better World Today Association and Other Half that are working hard to educate and grow our registry.
The best chance of finding a stem-cell donor is within a patient’s own ethnic group. Chinese Canadians only have a five to ten percent chance of finding a donor. This number decreases with children of mixed ethnic backgrounds.
Pass on this information, this website. Post it on your Facebook page or Twitter. The more people on the registry, the greater the diversity, the better chances we have to save someone’s life.
To read about the current promotion of awareness in the Chinese Community read this article posted in the Vancouver sun.
Tuesday, Mar 9th 2010
National Chinese Stem Cell Drive – March 27th
More than 20 Chinese patients in Canada are searching for a stem cell donor. A National Stem Cell Drive is being held on March 27th in Toronto and Vancouver. For more information regarding this drive, click here.
Friday, Mar 5th 2010
Fundraisers to Support Belle River’s Wes Laporte
Local teen is currently receiving treatment in the U.S. for Acute Leukemia. Local supporters are trying to raise funds to help the family with medical expenses around $250,000. How can you help?
- Donate empty wine and beer bottles at EcuMedical – 880 North Service Dr. East, Building 100, Suite 101.
- A pancake breakfast is being held on Sunday March 7th at Mr.Bigg’s in Belle River. Breakfast is served from 8:00am to noon.
- On March 11th, a Wes Laporte Night raffle will be held during the Windsor Spitfire game at WFCU Centre.
- Go to www.onematch.ca to join the registry.
Read the Windsor Star article for more details.
Thursday, Feb 18th 2010
Blood Donors Needed
The need for blood is INCREASING
OVER 50% OF APPOINTMENTS IN FEBRUARY STILL NEED TO BE FILLED
Please encourage your family, friends and co-worker to donate blood.
Windsor Blood Donor Clinic Hours
3909 Grand Marais Road East
| Monday & Thursday | 12pm – 7pm |
| Tuesday & Friday | 8am – 1pm |
| Wednesday | 3pm – 7pm |
| Saturday | 9am – 1pm |
Please call 1 888 2 DONATE (1 888 236-6283) to book your appointment. Can you bring in a group? Call Joan at 519 251-4202 or email to Joan.Hannah@blood.ca
Walk-ins are welcome.
Identification is required – full name and signature or full name and picture. It only takes an hour to make a life-saving difference.
One donation can help improve or save the lives of up to three people.
Tuesday, Jan 19th 2010
Lakeshore Academy of Fine Arts Supports the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association
Lakeshore Academy of Fine Arts Presents - Peter Pan
Purchase Tickets at:
Puce Sports and Leisure 519-727-0470 or online at
http://www.lakeshoreacademy.ca/BOXOFFICE.html
Price: $15.00
Friday – January 22 – 7:00 PM
Saturday – January 23 – 2:00 PM
Saturday – January 23 – 7:00 PM
Sunday – January 24 – 2:00 PM
Help support us and the talented youth at LAFA by attending this special presentation of Peter Pan.
Friday, Jan 15th 2010
Innovative Strategies Improve Outcomes and Reduce Complications Associated With Stem Cell Transplants
Leading experts continue to investigate new approaches to for reducing complications with Stem Cell Transplants. An article found on CancerNewtwork.com provides details on how researchers are addressing complications such as veno-occlusive disease and graft-vs.-host disease.
Click here to read the full article.
Thursday, Nov 19th 2009
Transplant Waiting List Has Almost Tripled In Five Years
A new study suggests that the shrinking size of Canadian families has greatly increased the need for an unrelated bone marrow donor. With couples in recent decades giving birth to fewer children, the chance of a leukemia patient finding a sibling match has reduced. This problem has contributed to the waiting list for bone marrow transplants from unrelated donors. To read the full article in the National Post click here.
Monday, Nov 16th 2009
Partners Uniting Lives through OneMatch in Windsor
From November 14th through 21st, Canadian Blood Services’ stem cell program, the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, is marking National Stem Cell Awareness Week with its Partners Uniting Lives campaign.
Sadly, only 30 per cent of patients in need of a stem cell transplant will find a match within their own family – the rest turn to OneMatch. The network is currently searching for stem cell matches for over 800 patients across the country – patients suffering from life-threatening illnesses such leukemia, aplastic anaemia or various immune disorders.
Diversity continues to be a significant concern for OneMatch, but with the collective efforts of various communities groups working side-by-side with OneMatch, we are seeing significant progress – especially bringing new, healthy, ethically diverse donors to the network. Given that the best chance of finding a match for patients is within their own ethnic group, reaching out to diverse communities is a major part of OneMatch’s community engagement strategy.
Partnership is a key element in the need for more ethnically diverse stem cell donors and the ongoing need for blood products. This is why Canadian Blood Services is pleased to be partnering with the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association and the Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority for an event to take place on November 16th at the University of Windsor’s Ambassador Auditorium.
“An effective partnership at OneMatch is all about building an alliance of civically and socially responsible people who want to make a difference in today’s world by either becoming a stem cell donor or contributing to the many other parts that make up Canada’s stem cell network. Both the Katelynn Bedard Bone Marrow Association and the University of Windsor are leading by example by providing this clinic today,” explains Jennifer Philippe, Director, OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network.
If you would like to register as a possible stem cell donor, the quickest way is through the online registration form at www.onematch.ca. You can also call Canadian Blood Services at 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) to have a registration package mailed to your address.
Tuesday, Nov 10th 2009
Edmonton’s African Centre Hosts Swab Event
Last Saturday around 30 members swabbed and registered for OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. The event was organized in memory of Edmontonian Nega Alem Abraham and to educate members of the local black community about the importance of stem-cell donations. Abraham died at the age of 45 from leukemia because he was unable to find a stem cell match. More than 800 patients in Canada are looking for a stem cell donor. To read the full article on the success of the African Centre’s event in the Edmonton Journal click here.
Thursday, Oct 22nd 2009
KBBMA's Visit to the University of Windsor Campus Is a Success
On October 21st during the Campus Health Fair at the CAW Student Centre Canadian Blood Services had a booth named “What’s Your Type” where students could find out their blood type and learn about donating blood. KBBMA and OneMatch.ca provided information about stem cell donation with the help of students working with Dr. Lisa Porter. Students and staff were able to register on the spot by simply filling out the required paperwork and submitting a buccal swab.
Fewer than 30% of patients who need a bone marrow or stem cell transplant will find a compatible donor from a family member, 70% rely on the generosity an unrelated donor for available sources of stem cells. Currently, there are more than 830 patients in Canada looking for a match. KBBMA is proud to announce that 92 people joined the registry at the Campus Health Fair. We would like to thank the volunteers, the staff at OneMatch.ca and those who joined the registry. Someone is looking for a needle in a haystack...you might be the needle.
If you missed this event our next event is being held:
Blood Donor Clinic and Buccal Swab
November 16, 2009
10:00am to 4:30pm
National Stem Cell Awareness Week
University of Windsor
Ambassador Auditorium
CAW Student Centre
401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor
Friday, Oct 9th 2009
Canada’s Cord Blood System – Wasted Opportunities
Over 364,000 babies were born in Canada last year. Of that, almost 350,000 precious cords were thrown away. In 2006, Canada purchased over 45 cord blood samples from other countries. Each one costs from $25,000.00 US to $30,000.00 US. Canada needs its own public cord blood bank. Canadian Blood Services has submitted a business plan to Ottawa in 2008. They are still waiting for a response. Canada has the technology, the expertise and the ability to regulate a cord blood bank. With over 700 Canadians searching for a bone marrow or stem cell donor it is shame that a cord blood bank has not been established yet. To read a great article on Cord Blood in Today’s Parent click here.
Tuesday, Aug 11th, 2009
Bowling for Bone Marrow 2009 -- Thank You!
We are thrilled to announce that Bowling for Bone Marrow 2009, "Throw a Strike for the Gift of Life" was another huge succes and raised $24,000. A dedicated group of 140+ bowlers were on-hand to show their support for bone marrow transplant patients. The event got off to a touching start with our special guest, 11-year-old Lucas Murphy on-hand to throw the first ball. Huge thanks to all of the participants for their hard work collecting pledges and special thanks to our many premier, lane and prize sponsors.Your generous support is what makes the work of our asociation possible.
 |
 |
 |
Premier Sponsors
- National Bank of Canada
- Laura White - State Farm
- Avatar Software Creations Inc.
- Green Shield Canada
- Joan Gray
- Scotiabank
- Lakeshore Academy of Fine Arts
- Title Source Inc. / Quicken Loans
Lane Sponsors
- Anthony Leardi
- Nantais Source for Sports
- C.A.W. Local 1973
- LaSalle Bowling
- Sherdil Precision Inc.
- Medel Brothers Quality Meats & Deli
- Gib & Arlene Williams
- Ravine Cottages
- Canadian Tire - Walker Rd.
- Desjardins Credit Union
- L&H Diversified Manufacturing Inc.
- Ann Pignal - State Farm
- Windsor Pro Clean Services
- Marilyn A. Laframboise
- Paul & Florence Senay
- Diane Santing - Edward Jones
- Briadco Tool & Mold Inc.
- Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School
- Windsor East Kiwanis
- Lacasse Printing
- Walmart 1072 Amherstburg
- Alliance Windsor Insurance Brokers
- Ted & Cindy Williams
- Ivanhoe Cambridge
Prize Sponsors
- The Hungry Wolf Restaurant
- The Keg - Devonshire Mall
- Boston Pizza Walker Rd.
- Costco
- Windsor Family Credit Union
- B2 Hair Studios
- Swiss Chalet - Walker Road
- Love it Yoga
- Paul Hasilo - Axa Insurance
- Elio Habib Salon & Spa
- Edythe Williams
- Black's Tecumseh Mall
- Diane Smith
- Andrea Sulyok
- Annette Martin
- Debbie Simone
- Angela Williams
- Arcata Pizzeria
- M&M Meat Shops - A'burg
- Maria's Restaurant
- First Choice Haircutters - A'burg
- Eye on Video - A'burg
- McGregor Home Hardware
- McGregor Video
- Naples Pizza - McGregor
- Judy's Country Kitchen
- Joan Gray
- Cathy Bondy
We hope to see you all again next year at Bowling for Bone Marrow 2010!
Title Source Fundraiser Week Raises $2,400
Our sincere thanks to the staff at Title Source Inc. in Troy, Michigan and Livonia, Michigan for hosting a fundraiser week in support of KBBMA from August 24th-28th. Through a variety of activities including "pay to wear shorts and flip-flops" days, a pancake breakfast, a 50/50 draw and a basketball jersey raffle, staff raised over $2,400. Proceeds of the fundraiser week will be used towards our awareness campaign, our Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program and our Research Sponsorship Program.
Special thanks to the team that organized this fundraiser for doing such a phenomenal job!
KBBMA Sponsors Stem Cell Research at University of Windsor
Earlier this year, Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association donated $5,000 to the Lisa Porter Research Fund at University of Windsor to help Dr. Lisa Porter and her team research environmental impacts on stem cell development. Dr. Porter and her group are doing cutting edge work and we are proud to support this project. We are confident the results of this work will be of benefit to stem cell transplant patients among others in years to come.
Dr. Porter has provided the following synopsis of her work and how it relates to stem cell transplantation:
"Hematopoietic, or blood forming, stem cells (HSCs) are immature cells capable of maturing into all forms of mature blood cells. HSCs are found in the bone marrow, bloodstream and umbilical cord blood at differing levels. Transplantation of these cells is hampered by the high cell dose required for engraftment. Clinical results in children have clearly shown that the number of stem cells infused during transplantation is correlated closely to the speed of recovery after chemotherapy. Learning how to effectively grow, or expand, HSCs in the laboratory would be an exceptionally valuable tool, enabling us to optimize engraftment using all sources and using limited pools of HSCs. In order to do this we must first identify the factors that regulate how these cells maintain their stem cell properties and what triggers them to become mature blood cells."
"With support from the KBBMA the Porter Lab at the University of Windsor will characterize the role of a central set of proliferative factors in maintaining stem like growth and allowing for effective expansion of HSCs in the laboratory. The factors that will be initially focused on have been previously identified by the Porter group and others as being very important in maintaining stemness in other stem cell populations. In addition to optimizing conditions by which we could expand HSCs in the laboratory, this work may also provide essential basic science information valuable in the diagnosis and treatment of specific forms of leukemia and/or lymphoma."
We hope to continue supporting this project on an ongoing basis. Thank you to our generous supporters for making this sponsorship possible!
Tuesday, Aug 11th, 2009
Local 11 Year-Old Boy Needs a Donor
At the age of three Luke Murphy was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia. For eight years he has undergone chemotherapy treatments to treat his leukemia. Today, his only hope is a bone marrow donor. Unfortunately, no one in his family was a match. He has been looking for a donor for a few months and a match has not been found. Here is a link to find out how you can join the registry. Please help by spreading awareness. The more people on the registry the more hope we give to those in need. Please help find Luke's Needle In A Haystack. To read the more on Luke's Story in The Windsor Star click here.
Wednesday, Aug 5th, 2009
Vietnamese Doctor Searching for Donor
Dr. Anh Nguyen Reiss is a 43 year old mother, a doctor, and a Vietnamese immigrant who was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in February 2009. Anh's only cure is a stem cell transplant. MDS is a disease of the bone marrow stem cells very similar to acute leukemia. It causes the bone marrow to produce ineffective red and white blood cells and platelets. Approximately 1/3 of patients with MDS progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) within months to a few years. But MDS patients also face other life-threatening dangers, such as a weak immune system and internal bleeding and hemorrhaging. Anh has been undergoing chemotherapy and regular blood transfusions to stabilize her red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets levels , but she is in a race to find a matching Asian or Vietnamese stem cell donor.
Dr. Reiss is a caring doctor who has touched countless lives. She has delivered some 3,000 babies in Houston! She's an ob/gyn at Memorial Herman Southwest. Besides delivering some 300 babies a year in private practice Anh also provides emergency care for indigent patients.
To read more about Anh’s story, click here.
You might be the match Anh desperately needs to find. Please join the bone marrow registry.
Monday, July 20th, 2009
Extreme Matchmaking
An excellent article by Prateek Lala, MD titled Extreme Matchmaking has been posted to the South Asian Living web site. This article is a valuable source of information covering the science of stem cell transplantation and the process for joining the bone marrow registry in the United States and Canada.
Daniel Kraft Invents a Better Way to Harvest Bone Marrow
Click here to watch Daniel Kraft demo his Marrow Miner on TED Ideas Worth Spreading The Marrow Miner is a new device that quickly harvests life-saving bone marrow with minimal pain to the donor. He emphasizes that the adult stem cells found in bone marrow can be used to treat many terminal conditions, from Parkinson's to heart disease.
Monday, July 13th, 2009
Match Needed for Luke
From The Chatham Daily News.
"Eleven-year-old Luke Murphy, who has been living with leukemia since age three, is down to his last option -- a bone marrow transplant.
Unfortunately, neither his two brothers and sister nor his parents are a suitable match.
The Pain Court area boy's family is appealing to local residents to consider registering to become a bone marrow donor, not only for Luke, but for the thousands of other Canadians who are also in need of a transplant."
You might be the match Luke desperately needs to find. Please join the bone marrow registry.
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Summer 2009 Newsletter
Our 2009 summer newsletter will be mailed out in June.
John Fox Memorial 2009
Thank you to the more than 60 golfers that came out to the 8th Annual John Fox Memorial on Saturday May 30, 2009. The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed the golf and the amazing prize table. The event was very successful and raised $4,600 in support of KBBMA.
Our sincere thanks to the many hole and prize sponsors as well. The success of this day is only possible with your gracious support!
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Over 700 Canadians Are Looking For a Donor – Robin Rocca is One
Twenty-eight year-old Robin Rocca was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2008 and needs a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, his siblings are not a match. The once active Italian-Canadian from St. John New Brunswick is desperately looking for a donor.
Want to help Robin? Please join the bone marrow registry.
Click here to read the full article in Tandem Magazine.
Click here to join Robin's Facebook group.
Become Natasha’s Hero
Natasha Collins is an outstanding 26-year-old Yale medical student who is battling leukemia for the second time, and she needs your help to save her life.
At the age of 23, Natasha was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). After two years of treatment, followed by a cord blood transplant, Natasha came to the Yale School of Medicine to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. Unfortunately, during her first year as a medical student Natasha was re-diagnosed with leukemia. She braved chemotherapy, and now she needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life.
Bone marrow transplant is a powerful tool to cure cancer; however, racial minorities are at a severe disadvantage for finding marrow matches. Because of the small number of minority registrants, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry can provide matches for 80% of Caucasians but only 30% of minorities.
Natasha is half African-American and half Caucasian, making her a part of this molecular minority. She has no match in the NMDP Registry. You can give real hope and even life to Natasha and thousands like her by registering to become a potential bone marrow donor.
To help, join the bone marrow registry.
Click here to join Natasha's Facebook group.
Click here to view Natasha’s YouTube video.
Tuesday, May 7th, 2009
Cord Blood Stem Cell Research Gets A Boost
The Univesity of Montreal's Research in Immunology and Cancer has succeeded in producing a large quantity of laboratory stem cells from a small number of blood stem cells.
The implications of this research are particularly important for stem cell transplants using umbilical cord blood stem cells. The amount of stem cells found in cord blood is often enough to treat an infant or child but not always sufficient for adult patients. This new finding means it could be possible to use cord blood stem cells to treat more adults.
To read more:
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Stem Cell Transplant Offers Hope for MS Patients
Alex Normandin, 26, was diagnosed with MS nearly 2 years ago. The young medical student thought he had time since MS usually progresses slowly. He learned that he had an agressive form and would probably be in a wheel chair within months.
Alex was accepted into an experimental program to treat his MS with a stem cell transplant. Stem cell transplants are often used as treatment for blood disorders such as leukemia. The patient is given high doses of chemotherapy and radiation to destroy their bone marrow. The transplant provides new stem cells without the disease.
Twenty four people were part of this experimental study done in Ottawa by bone marrow transplant expert Harold Atkins and MS neurologist Mark Freedman. Alex is patient 19, he received his transplant in December 2008.
Thankfully, Alex's stem cell transplant has worked. The MS appears to have stopped its progression and Alex feels his co-ordination and strength improving.
To read the full article in the Vancouver Sun click here.
To read more on Alex Normandin's story, click here.
Friday, April 17th, 2009
The Quilt of Hope Winner Is...
Ken Houston from Amherstburg, Ontario!
The Quilt of Hope Raffle was drawn Tuesday, April 14 at CAW Local 1973 Hall in Windsor. The winner of the quilt is Ken Houston of Amherstburg, Ontario. Our sincere thanks to Mrs. Joanne Smulders and her fellow quilters "Three Generations" for donating this beautiful hand-made quilt. Congratulations to Ken and our thanks to everyone that purchased tickets. The Quilt of Hope Raffle raised over $3,500 in support of KBBMA.
Thursday, April 16th, 2009
Miracle Match
James, a 24 year-old from Vaughan, Ontario was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia on January 21, 2009. Aplastic anemia is a bone marrow failure disease in which the body's bone marrow doesn't make enough new blood cells. Symptoms of Aplastic Anemia can inlcude: increased bleeding, bruising, susceptibilty to infections, shortness of breath, fatigue, ringing in the ears, to name a few.
The only cure for Severe Aplastic Anemia is a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately James' sisters were not a match for him. He launched a website to increase awareness about his disease and encourage people to join One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Newtwork. On April 8th, James posted the following message to his web site:.
Wednesday, 08 April 2009 16:16
They Found A Match!!!!
"Hey everyone... Just wanted to let you know they found a perfect match!! 10 out of 10. The doctor told me yesterday morning at PMH and I was ecstatic. It is such a relief to know there is someone out there that could potentially save my life. I want to thank everyone for their continued support throughout this journey... It is because of all of you that we have received this good news. Everyone from friends, family, family in Italy, the Church, and even total strangers pulled together and spread my story urging people to become a donor... Someone out there listened and my family and I couldn't be happier. From the bottom of my heart, thank you... I will never forget what many of you did for me and for that I am eternally grateful."
We encourage you to visit James web site http://www.livingwithaplasticanemia.com to read his story and to learn more about Aplastic Anemia.
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
Play a Round for KBBMA
Attention golfers! Come out and enjoy a round of golf and help bone marrow transplant patients. Two upcoming golf tournaments are supporting Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association. Both tournaments offer a great time for all and a chance to win some wonderful prizes.
For golfers near Windsor, Ontario, the 8th Annual John Fox Memorial will be held Saturday, May 30th, 2009 at Tilbury Golf Club. Shotgun start at 10:00am, $95 per person includes golf, power cart dinner and prizes. Phone 519-564-4119 to register. Proceeds to KBBMA. More info.
For golfers near London, Ontario, the 6th Annual Day to Remember Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, June 6th, 2009 at Wardsville Golf and Country Club. Shotgun start at 11:00am, 4 person scramble, $80 includes 18 holes of golf, power cart, steak dinner and prizes. $65 includes 9 holes of golf, power cart, steak dinner and prizes. Phone 519-652-0372 to register. Proceeds to Camp Trillium and KBBMA. More info.
Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Devonshire Mall
KBBMA volunteers braved a February winter storm and ventured out to Devonshire Mall in Windsor this Saturday. Many shoppers stopped by our booth to purchase tickets for the
Quilt of Hope Raffle and to receive information about bone marrow and cord blood donation. Our sincere thanks to the volunteers that took time from their busy schedule to help.
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
Operation Alysha
Alysha is five years old and lives in Guelph. In November 2008, Alysha was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Her illness has a further complication, a genetic mutation in her cancer cells called the Philadelphia chromosome. This complication puts Alysha in a high risk category. She must undergo a bone marrow transplant and is in need of a donor. You might be the matching donor for Alysha or someone else in need. To help, join the bone marrow registry. For more information about Alysha and her search for a bone marrow donor, visit the Operation Alysha web site.
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
Our Thanks to Lakeshore Academy of Fine Arts
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association would like to thank the Lakeshore Academy of Fine Arts for their generous donation. The Lakeshore Academy of Fine Arts invited local elementary schools for a special performance of The Nutcracker Prince. The proceeds of this perfomance were donated to the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association. A special thank you to the schools and the parents for allowing their children to participate in this event. We send our applause to the LAFA Alumni for their spectacular performance. It was a very special day.
Friday, January 23rd, 2009
Please Help Spread The Word
The Canadian Chinese community is asking for your help. Shu Yi Fung has been waiting for a donor for the past year and a half. Since there was no match found among her siblings, she faces a less than 10% chance of finding a match. The Chinese community is direly underrepresented on the worldwide donor networks, with only 4.2%.
It is important to send the message of this urgency, to educate our community regarding the facts about joining the registry and the donation process. To help, the Other Half - Chinese Stem Cell Intiative has been created to spearhead campaigns and initiate change. It is their hope to have every Chinese Canadian hear this message and take the next step to register with www.OneMatch.ca.
To read the full article in the MetroNews click here. For more information on the Other Half - Chinese Stem Cell Intiative click here.
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
We Surpassed Our Goal, Now We Have A New One
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association would like to thank all of those who signed up for Canadian Blood Services' Partners For Life. We are proud to announce that we have surpassed our goal of donating 50 units of blood. In 2008, Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association's Partners For Life donated 72 units. What do you do when you surpass a goal? You set a new one. In 2009, we have pledged to donate 100 units! Please help us achieve this goal.
Patients that undergo a bone marrow transplant need a large number of blood transfusions both before and after their transplant as well as during their transplant. It is not uncommon for a transplant patient to need over 100 transfusions. These patients cannot survive without the support of blood donors in their community.
If you are a current donor and would like to join our Partners for Life group, please contact us at partners@givemarrow.net. If you have never donated blood before and would like to start, there is no better time than the present. Please go to www.blood.ca for further information.
Thank you so much for all of your support. (and your donations of course)
Canadian 13-Year Old Girl Meets Her Bone Marrow Donor
A 13 year old girl from British Columbia had the chance to meet her bone marrow donor for the first time. Two years ago she was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia, a condition where bone marrow does not replenish blood cells. She faced a lifetime of blood transfusions unless a bone marrow donor was found. None of her four siblings were a match, thankfully a donor was found. In June 2007, a New York Firefighter donated his marrow to save her life.
Since 1989 about 8,000 New York City firefighters have joined the National Donor Registry. So far, 116 have given marrow to save lives. They are the most successful single organization in the world in getting bone marrow donations to people who need a bone marrow transplant.
To read more about this story on wcbstv.com please click here.
Friday, January 9th, 2009
Michigan's St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Partners with Karmanos For Research
St. Jospeph Mercy Hospital has partnered with Karmanos Cancer Institute's J.P. McCarthy Cord Stem Cell Bank to collect cord blood to provide more options to those diagnosed with cancer and serious blood disorders. In June 2008, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital began collecting cord blood and so far approximately 100 mothers have donated their child's cord blood. Once collected the cord blood is processed, frozen and stored in the J.P McCarthy Cord Stem Cell Bank in Detroit. This cord blood bank is a public, nonprofit stem cell bank with more than 1,200 umbilical cord blood units in inventory.
To read the full article in the Ypsilanti Courier, click here.
Friday, December 19th, 2008
Windsor Girl Needs Stem Cell Transplant
The family of four year-old Michaela of Windsor, Ontario, is hoping to find a stem cell donor for their daughter. She is suffering from a rare genetic disorder called MPS III. Her only hope is a stem cell transplant. The treatment for this disease is only available in the United States and could cost between $500,000 and $700,000. It will require the family to move within 15 minutes of the North Carolina hopspital. The family will be starting fundraising intiatives in the new year. More information will be posted when available. You can help by joining the One Match Stem Cell Marrow Network today.
To read the full article in The Windsor Star, click here. You can also visit www.hopeformichaela.com for information about upcoming fundraisers.
5 Year Old Hailed as Hero
Five year-old Daniel is being hailed a hero. He donated his bone marrow to saved the life of his four year-old brother, John who suffered from Sickle-Cell. The Canadian Army Cadet Corps made Daniel an Honourary Cadet for his bravery. To read more or watch a video please see below.
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
Five Year Old Meets His Donor at Disneyworld
Five-year-old Bryden Hutt received a bone marrow transplant at 5 months old to treat Ommen's Syndrome. Bryden was granted a wish trip through the Children's Wish Foundation. When asked who he wanted to bring with him, he answered his Mom, Dad and his donor, 24- year old Felix Kruse of Germany. To read the full article found in NovaNewsNow.com click here.
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
WebKinz Foundation Donates $5000
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association would like to thank the Webkinz Foundation for their generous donation. The ongoing success of Webkinz pets and related merchandise has allowed the Ganz family to launch the Webkinz Foundation, a charitable organization focused on supporting programs for children worldwide.
Monday, November 10th, 2008
Two Brothers In Need of Stem Cell Matches
Seven-year-old Lucas and five-month-old Owen of Burlington, Ontario are suffering from Fanconi Anemia, a rare blood disorder. The only cure for Fanconi Anemia is a stem cell transplant. Unfortunately, Lucas and Owen do not have a family match and need a transplant from an unrelated donor. Because of the family's ethnicity, Jamaican and Portuguese, finding a match will be difficult.
Lucas and Owen's parents, Keswick and Manuela are pleading that anyone with diverse backgrounds sign up on the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. To read the full article in the Burlington Post, click here.
Thursday, October 23th, 2008
Brampton Man Meets The Donor That Saved His Life
Almost 10 years after his life saving Bone Marrow Transplant, Eric Perron met the man that saved his life. Eric was diaganosed with acute leukemia in 1997 while studying for his PhD in mechanical engineering at the University of Quebec. By the spring of 1998 he needed a transplant to survive. His donor living and working in Fredericton, New Brunswick received the call that his bone marrow was needed. On Aug 26, 1998 the transplant was completed. Eric Perron has now declared this date as the new date to celebrate his life. To read the full article in the Toronto Star click here.
Friday, October 17th, 2008
Global Appeal for Marrow Donor
Jessica Pessoa, a 22 -year-old from Toronto is reaching out to the world hoping to find the marrow donor she desperately needs. Jessica does not have a match in her family and must now turn to the global registry. Of the 237,000 Canadians registered on Canadian Blood Services' OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, only 15% are from diverse communities making it very difficult for some patients to find a matching donor. You can help Jessica and other patients in need of a bone marrow or stem cell transplant by joining the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. To read the complete article in the Toronto Sun, click here.
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
The Importance of Donating Blood
A grateful seven-year-old by gave out hand made thank you cards to donors at a blood clinc in Vancouver. The boy, Jaxson Amyott had survived three cases of leukemia, hundreds of blood transfusions and had a bone marrow transplant by the time most chilren were just starting school.
Please help us support those who receive bone marrow/stem cell transplants by donating blood. To read the full article from the Metro News, click here.
Friday, October 3rd, 2008
2008 Charity Challenge Fun Run Thanks!
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association would like to thank all of those who donated and participated in the 2008 Charity Challenge Fun Run on Sept. 21, 2008. There were 535 participants showing their support to local charities. The 2008 Charity Challenge Fun Run raised over $2,500.00 for our association. We appreciate the support from the community.
 |
 |
 |
View more photos HERE.
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
Two Brothers Looking for Bone Marrow Donors
Seven-year-old Lucas, was diagnosed with Fanconi anemia in January. Currently, Lucas requires frequent blood transfusions to keep him alive. The only cure is a bone marrow transplant. Shortly after his diagnosis, Lucas's mother discovered she was pregnant and they prayed that this baby would be a bone marrow match for his brother. Baby Owen was born this June and tests showed he is not a match for his brother.
Their story does not end there. Several weeks ago baby Owen was also diagnosed with Fanconi anemia. The family is desperately searching for two bone marrow donors. Please read the complete article in the Toronto Sun. Also, please consider joining the bone marrow registry. You may be the needle in the haystack that someone is looking for to hopefully save their life.
Bowling for Bone Marrow 2008 -- Thank You!
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is pleased to announce that Bowling for Bone Marrow 2008, "Throw a Strike for the Gift of Life" raised $22,000. It was a successful day with 165 bowlers, an afternoon of bowling, children's activities, a strike-off contest and excellent prizes such as a children's bicycle, Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit, and a Patio Set. We are very grateful for our generous sponsors and we thank our bowlers for their hard work collecting pledges. Thank you for your support!
 |
 |
 |
Premier Sponsors
National Bank of Canada
Laura White – State Farm
Avatar Software Creations Inc.
Green Shield Canada
Scotiabank
Joan Gray
Lane Sponsors
Anthony Leardi
Nantais Source for Sports
C.A.W. Local 1973
LaSalle Bowling
Sherdil Precision Inc.
SofSURFACES Inc.
Medel Brothers Quality Meats & Deli
Tool-Tec Welding Inc.
Gib & Arlene Williams
Ravine Cottages
Canadian Tire – Walker Rd.
Lakeshore Academy of Fine Arts
Jose’s Noodle Factory
Desjardins Credit Union
Genworth Financial
L&H Diversified Manufacturing Inc.
Navistar - Chatham
Ann Pignal – State Farm
Willabee’s Unlimited
Windsor Factory Supply Ltd.
Windsor Pro Clean Services
Marilyn A. Laframboise
Paul & Florence Senay
Diane Santing – Edward Jones
Prize Sponsors
Antonino’s Original Pizza
The Hungry Wolf Restaurant
The Keg – Devonshire Mall
Armando’s Walker Rd.
Boston Pizza Walker Rd.
Costco
Linda’s Fashion’s
Windsor Family Credit Union
Theresa Porter
UFCW Local 175 & Local 633
B2 Hair Studios
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
Day To Remember Golf Tournament 2008
The 5th Annual 2008 Day to Remember Charity Golf Tournament was held on Saturday, June 7, 2008. The tournament was a day of celebration to honour the lives of children who have lost their battle with cancer, those who are presently battling the disease and cancer survivors.
All of the golfers had a fantastic time thanks to picture perfect weather and the beautiful conditions of the course at Wardsville Golf and Country Club.
In total, 148 people participated in this wonderful event that raised $23,067 for local families that have a child battling cancer or life threatening illness, Camp Trillium and Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association. KBBMA wishes to express it’s sincere thanks to Mike and Sandra Rombouts and the entire DTR committee for hosting this event and for choosing our charity as a beneficiary of the proceeds.
Mark your calendar today for the 6th Annual Day to Remember Charity Golf Tournament which will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2009.
Life for Manish
Manish Bhardwaj, a 34 year old design engineer in the United States is desperately searching for a bone marrow donor. Manish is of south east asian decent, an ethnicity that is drastically under represented in the world bone marrow registry. Friends and family of Manish are working hard to encourage south east asians to join the bone marrow registry. For more information about Manish and how you can help, visit www.lifeformanish.com.
Wednesday, July 29th, 2008
Volunteer Workshop and Info Session
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is Having a Volunteer Information Workshop:
Tuesday August 5 2008
6:30 pm until 8:30 pm
Location - CAW Local 1973 Union Hall
3719 Walker Road Windsor
RSVP by August 1.
The workshop will provide information about our association, bone marrow and stem cell donation procedures, umbilical cord blood donation and Canada's bone marrow registry the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network.
This workshop is a great opportunity to have your questions answered about donating bone marrow and cord blood and to learn about some of the other ways you can help bone marrow transplant patients.
Become a Marvelous Marrow Volunteer.
2008 Charity Challenge Fun Run
Attention runners of all ages! The 2008 Charity Challenge Fun Run at the Windsor Riverfront will be held on Sunday September 21, 2008 at 9:00 A.M. at One Riverside Drive West (Chrysler Building @ Oullette Ave.). Join us for an 8K run, 3K run/walk, Kids K or Kids Dash to raise money for 7 Windsor-Essex charities including Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association.
Race Day Schedule
9:00 A.M. Kids Dash/Kids 1 KM Start
9:15 A.M. 8km and 3km Start
10:30 A.M. Awards Ceremony
Register online:
www.charitychallengefunrun.net
www.runningfactory.com
John Fox Memorial 2008
Thank you to the more than 60 golfers that came out to the John Fox Memorial on July 12, 2008. Despite a 30 minute rain delay, a wondeful time was had by all and the event was another huge success raising $4000 for KBBMA.
Our sincere thanks to the many hole and prize sponsors as well. The success of this day is only possible with your gracious support!
Monday, July 21th, 2008
Surprise Meeting for a Stem Cell Transplant Recipient
meets his donor from Germany,
Manuel Raisch, right.
A local man had the surprise of his life, meeting the man that saved his life. Belle River's Chris LoDuca was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in 2003. On Sept. 29, 2005 he received a stem cell transplant in a Hamilton hospital. The man who saved his life was a donor, Manuel Raisch from Germany. With some skillful planning of Chris's family and The Better World Today Association, they were able to surpise Chris with the ability to meet his hero face-to-face.
To read the full article in the Windsor Star click here.
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
Infant Recovering From Bone Marrow Transplant
At just four months old, Christian Roehler of Amherstburg was diagnosed with a rare immune deficiency disorder Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. This syndrome affects only one in every four million boys and will make him more susceptible to cancer, infections, bleeding and bruising. The only known treatment is a bone marrow transplant. Thankfully, a match was found for Christian from donated cord blood and he was able to receive a bone marrow transplant. Thirteen-month old Christian Roehler received his bone marrow transplant on July 11th. To read the full article in the Windsor Star, please click here
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Thinking of Cherri
Brookly Taylor.
September, 16th, 2007.
In April 2007, at age 43 Cherri fell ill with strep throat and pneumonia, which lead to an unknown cancer. One month after recovery she could not walk. She thought she had pulled her hip out of the joint and went to the clinic for x-rays. At that time she was told that her leg was not out of joint nor broken, but that they could see a small lesion that needed further investigation. Specialists were called, however, the appointments were made for months away. Unknown to her at that time, the cancer was already spreading and her kidneys were failing. She went to the hospital and had a blood transfusion and intravenous steroid therapy. She was sent home and continued with the steroid therapy and had several biopsies that proved negative.
On September 11, 2007 she had a fall and broke her hip. She went to the hospital a few days later she received a new titanium hip and leg replacement. The doctors had found that the cancer had been eating away at her leg bones. It was at this time that she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (Plasma Cell Cancer). She started with radiation on her leg and at that time the cancer was diagnosed as in remission. Within three weeks she came down with a cough and as a result broke her breastbone. She then underwent further radiation and chemotherapy. With the cancer no longer in remission she received a stem cell transplant on June 26, 2008 in London, Ontario at the Cancer Research Centre. Her journey continues.
Cherri would like to thank the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association for their kindness and support to her and her family. Also, a special thank you to Bryan and Melba Bedard for giving their time and attending her fundraiser.
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Centennial Reunion Helps Local Charity
Windsor's Centennial Secondary School, which closed in 1985 held an all years reunion on May 9 at the Ciociaro Club in Windsor.
More than 400 people were in attendance giving many former students and teachers a chance to reconnect and reminisce about their days at their cherished school.
Event organizers generously selected the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association as the recipient of over $4000 that was raised at the reunion. "All of us are very proud to be able to give back to a local charity and have some fun at the same time", says Brian Churchmack, an organizer of the event.
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association graciously acknowledges all who attended the Centennial reunion for their generous support. The money raised will go directly towards activities such as our Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program and our Research Sponsorship Program.
2000 Mile Bike Ride to Promote Five Points of Life
This October, 12 bicyclists are going to pedal 2,000 miles in the southeast of the United States promoting donations of whole blood, blood platelets, bone marrow, cord blood and organs/tissue.
Five Points of Life is focused on raising national awareness of the need for donations of all five points of life and increasing donor participation. With the support of many of the national donor organizations and the financial support of corporate sponsors, LifeSouth organized the first cross-country Five Points of Life ride in 1997.
Subsequent rides in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 have generated media coverage at most events along the route, playing a key role in raising awareness for the need. Events have also resulted in 4,376 additions to the National Marrow Donor Program Registry. Information on both organ & tissue donations and cord blood banking has been widely distributed, and blood and apheresis donations are an integral part of daily events held across the country.
More information about the Five Points of Life Bike Ride.
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Donor Needed For Carolyn Tam
Carolyn Tam, a 37-year-old project manager for a building company is currently undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia after relapsing last month. She needs to find
a bone marrow donor as soon as possible. Her ethnic background is chinese meaning her best chance of finding a matching donor is in the chinese community.
Carolyn was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia 16 months ago. After her first treatment of chemotherapy, she was in remission for only one year. The Leukemia has relapsed and she will need a stem cell transplant to survive. The limited number of chinese people on the international registry means it will be difficult for Carolyn to find a matching donor. She needs people in the chinese community to join the registry in hopes of finding her miracle match.
This is where you can help.
GET REGISTERED
Click here to find out how to join the registry in your country. A simple blood test or cheek swab can determine your HLA type for matching purposes.
GET OTHERS TO REGISTER
Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to get tested.
SPREAD THE WORD
The only way to increase Carolyn's chances is to increase the number registrants. In Canada, Chinese registrants represent only about 5% of the total registry.
For more information about Carolyn's search for a bone marrow donor, visit her web site www.savecarolyn.com
Bone Marrow Awareness Video
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association has posted a video on YouTube that provides some basic information about the bone marrow registry and why it is critical that people of all ethnic backgrounds join the registry.
Please feel free to add the video to your own website or blog by copying and pasting the embed code below.
Monday, April 28th, 2008
National Cord Blood Bank Hopefully Coming Soon
Canada's first cord-blood bank is expected to be approved by provincial governments in June. Canada's provincial deputy health ministers are meeting in June to approve the business plan for the cord-blood bank, at a cost of $7 to $10 million. It's expected to cost $2 million a year to run it.
A national opinion poll last year found 89 per cent of Canadians support a national bank, and 85 per cent would be interested in donating if they had children.
To read the full article on Canada.com please click here.
Friday, April 4th, 2008
Blood Donors Make a Difference to Cancer Patients
Canadian Blood Services forecasts 900,000 units of blood will be needed in 2008, with hospital demand continuing to grow by 2% each year. That amounts to 17,000 extra units of blood this year alone.Patients undergoing cancer treatments are one of the largest blood recipient groups in Canada. To read the full article in The Brampton News, click here.
A Blood Drive is being held in Honour of Katelyn Bedard Thursday, April 10, 2008 between 3-pm and 8pm at St.Anne's Parish Hall in Tecumseh. Please call 1-888-2DONATE to book your appointment for the clinic or for another time that is convenient for you. Please help us support those receiving bone marrow transplants.
Thursday, March 13th, 2008
Woman Needs Help of Portuguese Community
Cristina Copa, a Portuguese woman living in Leamington, Ontario is in desparate need of help from the Portuguese community. She needs a life saving bone marrow transplant immediately but tragically there is no match for her in the world bone marrow registry. Cristina needs to find someone with the same human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type. HLA type is inherited and as a result, the donor typically has to have the same ethnic background as the patient. Cristina and her family are reaching out to the Portuguese Community imploring people to join the bone marrow registry to possibly help Cristina or someone else that is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant.
Cristina was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2001 when she was just 36 years old. She has endured many rounds of chemotherapy and has enjoyed brief periods of remission. However, she has now had multiple relapses and the only treatment that can help her is a bone marrow transplant. Cristina understands the seriousness of her disease and is reaching out for help not just for herself, but for the many others that also need a bone marrow donor to save their life.
The Copa family is holding a fundraiser for Cristina in Leamington on March 30, 2008:
| Cristina Copa Fundraiser | |
| Date: | Sunday, March 30, 2008 |
| Time: | Lunch starts at 1:00pm |
| Location: | Portuguese Community Club, Talbot St., Leamington, Ontario |
| Menu: | Pasta, chicken, salad and desert |
| Tickets: |
Adults - $20, Kids 5-12 - $10, Kids 4 and under - Free Tickets required in advance Phone 519-322-1936 / 519-981-9418 for tickets |
Note: The Cristina Copa fundraiser is not a Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association event. However, the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association will be at this event to present information about bone marrow donation and to answer any questions you may have about how to join the bone marrow registry.
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
OneMatch Makes It Easy For Potential Stem Cell Donors to Join
1,100 residents from British Columbia took part in a new method of registering with OneMatch that is quick, easy and does not require taking a blood test. It starts by registering online at www.onematch.ca, then a free buccal swab kit is mailed to your home with instructions and a postage paid return envelope. The process is as easy as brushing your teeth to obtain a sample of your DNA which is then sent back to the Canadian Blood Services HLA lab and extracted for HLA typing and added to the OneMatch database of 227,000 Canadians. This database is used to help life-threatening illnesses such as leukemia, lymphoma or Sickle-Cell disease all over the world.
You can read the full story here for more details.
Rihanna Fights To Save Cancer-Stricken Mother
Rihanna and her charity Believe has joined forces with DKMS the world's largest non-profit marrow donor center to help find donor for New York mother of two Lisa Gershowitz who is battling leukemia.
You can read the full story here for more details.
Interesting Articles
- Toddler Faces Bone Marrow Challenge
- Rare Bone Marrow Double-Match Allows Both Husband, Wife to Save Strangers’ Lives
- Drive for bone marrow donors begins at basketball game
- DKMS Where Leukemia Meets Its Match
- Creating a Cord-Blood Lifeline
- A Bone Marrow Drive to Save a Kennewick Girl
Friday, February 8th, 2008
It's Like Meeting A Member of Your Family
A 12 year old boy from Swan Lake had the opportunity of meeting his bone marrow donor for the first time in New York City. Cole was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2001. Four years later, doctors discovered he had developed a secondary adult form of the disease. In 2005, Cole received a successful bone marrow transplant from outside Canada. To read the full story in the Winnipeg Sun, please click here.
Monday, January 21st, 2008
KBBMA Sponsors Research at University of Montreal
In 2007, the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association was pleased to make a contribution of five thousand dollars to the research project conducted by Dr. Claude Perreault of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer at the University of Montreal. Dr. Perreault and his team have identified 17 genes that indicate that a candidate bone marrow donor may be "dangerous" in terms of causing graft vs. host disease (GVHD) in the receiving patient following the transplant.
GVHD is a serious, some times fatal complication of bone marrow transplants. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, "In GVHD, the immune cells from the donated marrow or cord blood (the graft) attack the body of the transplant patient (the host). GVHD can affect many different parts of the body. The skin, eyes, stomach and intestines are affected most often. GVHD can range from mild to life-threatening." Dr. Perreault is working to develop a simple test to screen candidate donors prior to being selected to determine if they would put the recipient at a higher risk for GVHD.
Dr. Claude Perreault is the Principal Investigator, Immunobiology Laboratory, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer. He is also a Full Professor, Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal and a Hematologist, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. He is currently the Canada Research Chair in Immunobiology. Additional information about Dr. Perreault and his work can be found here:
Profile at IRIC
French language article published in FORUM
Globe and Mail article
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association will continue to support Dr. Perreault's research on an ongoing basis. This is only possible thanks to the help of our generous supporters. If you would like to make a donation, follow the link on our ways you can help page.
About our Research Sponsorship Program.
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
Bone Marrow Transplant Gives Girl The Ultimate Christmas Gift
A young girl from Fall River, Nova Scotia celebrated with her family this December when she was given the news from her doctors that she is in remission due to a bone marrow transplant.
She was diagnosed last winter with a rare blood disorder known as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), which develops into acute myeloid leukemia. A life saving bone marrow transplant was required, and the cry went out in her home community of River Hebert and beyond, seeing over 1,000 friends and family members rushing to register as possible donors.
Five months later a partial match was found from the International Bone Marrow Registry. To read the full article in The Amherst Citizen, please click here.
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
Are You Between the ages of 17 - 50?
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is urging anyone between the age of 17 - 50 to become part of Canada's One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Network. At an event organized in recognition of 23-year-old Kevin Couvillon who needs to find a bone marrow donor, another local Windsor donor had the opportunity to share his experience as a bone marrow donor. To read more about his story please click here to read the full Windsor Star article. Someone is looking for a needle in a haystack.... you might be the needle!
Friday, December 7th, 2007
Match Needed for Windsor Man
Kevin Couvillon, 23, from Windsor, Ontario was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia this past July and immediately started chemotherapy. The chemo isn’t working though, which means Kevin’s only option now is to get a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Kevin is a super young man with a bright future ahead of him. He runs his own recording studio called BlackBox Sound and has recorded tracks for a number of upcoming Windsor based bands.
A few weeks ago, Kevin received the devastating news that there is no match for him in the worldwide registry of bone marrow donors. You might be able to help Kevin or someone else in the same situation. Please consider adding your name to the list of people that are willing to donate bone marrow by joining the bone marrow registry. More information about donating bone marrow and joining the bone marrow registry in your country can be found here. Also, click here to see a great video that explains the donation procedure.
If you’re willing to join the registry, please don’t delay. Make the gift of life the best Christmas present you have ever given!
Awareness Month Bill Reintroduced
From the December 6 edition of the Windsor Star:
MPP Bruce Crozier (L -- Essex) has reintroduced the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Awareness Month Act in the Ontario legislature.
The private member's bill would proclaim November as Bone Marrow Awareness Month.
Friday, November 30th, 2007
Girl Needs to Find A Donor In Four Months
Lourdess Sumners is battling Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Her best chance of survival is a bone-marrow transplant. She is in desperate need of a donor from the Asian or Filipino community. If you know of anyone in these communities please have them go to www.onematch.ca.
To read the full article on www.canada.com, please click here.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Cord Blood From Newborn Sister Saved Brother's Life
A newborn saved her 11-year old brother who's leukemia returned agressively. Now the boy is 17 years old and healthy. To read more about this family and how the cord blood from their newborn saved their son, click here for the Windsor Star story.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
OneMatch Introduces Swab Kits
It will soon be even easier to join the bone marrow registry in Canada. One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Network has just announced that they are changing the process to become part of Canada's Bone Marrow Registry. Once you register at www.onematch.ca, a swab kit will be mailed directly to your home with instructions and a return envelope. This new process is being launched in British Columbia and is intended to roll out national later this year. To read the press release, click here.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Canadian Blood Services Introduces OneMatch
Canadian Blood Services is re-branding the former "Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry" to "OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network".
The purpose of this re-branding is to address the critically low shortage of ethnic registrants. To read the full press release click here.
OneMatch.ca Launch Party to be held in Vancouver on November 3rd, 2007 and in Toronto on November 7th, 2007. To find out more about the details, click here.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Dany Needs Your Help!
Time is running out for Kitchener resident Dany Mercado, a 24 year old man with leukemia. He needs a bone marrow transplant right away. Tragically, he has not been able to find a matching donor in the registry. Dany's family is originally from Nicaragua and his best chance of finding a matching donor is in the hispanic community. You can help! Tell everyone you know about Dany and ask them to join the bone marrow registry. Please do not put it off until tomorrow, Dany needs your help immediately.
For more information about Dany, visit www.helpdany.com. Dany's family is raising money to have people in Nicaragua tested and added to the bone marrow registry. You can make a donation on their web site. There is also more information about Dany at www.donorcorner.com/.
Monday October 1, 2007
Ask Your Candidate About Cord Blood
Attention Ontario residents. As election time nears, please ask your local candidate about cord blood. Do they support a national bank? What are they going to do about it? Canadian Blood Services is asking provincial and territorial governments for funding. You can help by choosing a Candidate that will take action.
Monday August 27, 2007
Bowling for Bone Marrow Throws Another Strike
 |
 |
 |
Bowling for Bone Marrow 2007 was held this past Saturday, August 25 at Bowlero and was an enormous success raising over $17,000. It was a fun family event with over 155 bowlers on hand. There were children’s activities, a strike throwing contest and some really nice door prizes such as a Broil King BBQ, Nintendo Wii, Children’s Bicycle, Detroit Tigers tickets and more. A huge thank you to everyone that collected pledges and came out to this event. Thank you as well to our generous sponsors!
Click here to see more photos from Bowling for Bone Marrow 2007.
Friday August 17, 2007
Vinay Finds Bone Marrow Donor
Wonderful news, Vinay Chakravarthy, a 28-year-old Boston man has finally found a bone marrow match. You can read all about Vinay on the Help Vinay! web site. It was very difficult for Vinay to find a match because he is South Asian and only about 1% of the bone marrow registry are South Asian. Here is an excited message from Vinay about how much it means to him to have found a match:
“Good news everyone. I found a match. It is not a perfect match but it is a 9/10 match. The donor is extremely committed. His commitment is so strong that he was willing to pre-pone his stem cell donation to fit my doctor's recommendations. I can't express how much this means to me. In the past I wrote about how one of the potential donors became "unavailable" due to a lack of family support. This is not the case here. You, as volunteers and activists, deserve the credit in the change in our community's mentality and their conviction to be a COMMITTED DONOR.
Tomorrow morning I will begin my journey into the transplant process. I will be admitted and have several procedures done, including placement of 2 Hickman catheters. The transplant will be a long and arduous process but your support and well wishes will get me through these difficult times. I love reading all the "show of support" comments and it really brightens my spirits.
Many of you stay connected to me through this wonderful website. Many of you I know and many of you I have heard of through my family and friends. I will do my very best to keep you up to date on my progress. And even if I am unable to write, I will have Rashmi relay my sentiments. I hope to have new updates at least a few times a week.
Team Vinay should be proud of all it has accomplished. In the short few months that you all have been active, we have registered over 23,000 South Asians. This is clearly over a 20% increase to the existing number of S. Asians on the registry. And as you may know a few of the marrow registrants through Team Vinay drives have already been contacted as being potential donors for others in our community. Through your tireless efforts we have also achieved a few more significant goals. Team Vinay, working along with NMDP , is responsible for implementing a protocol for culturally competent callbacks for potential S. Asian donors. Another wonderful outcome is the creation of a S. Asian specific website that will serve as a sustainable informational and educational tool for our community for the years to come. The content of the website is growing and will include input from key Team Vinay members - it should be up and running next month!
This past week has been amazing. I have enjoyed my short yet fulfilling week at home, spending time with Rashmi and other family and friends. We watched Rush Hour 3, had a BBQ and played dominoes. Thank you all again for your unwavering support and well wishes.
Much love to you all;
Vinay."
Monday August 13, 2007
John Fox Memorial
 |
 |
 |
The John Fox Memorial golf tournament, held on Sunday, August 12 at Tilbury Golf Club was a great success again this year. It was a beautiful sunny day and the 65+ golfers who participated had a great time. Over $4,000 was raised for the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association at this event. Many thanks to Ken Roughton, Dennis Kelly and the John Fox Memorial committee for putting on such a wonderful event. We hope you will join us next year!
Click here to see more photos from the John Fox Memorial golf tournament.
Saturday August 11, 2007
Family Support Program at Windsor Regional Hospital Thanks to Green Shield
Canada, Carolyn Mayea presents
a cheque for $5,000.
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is proud to announce the expansion of their Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program to Windsor Regional Hospital. The family support program provides money to bone marrow transplant patients to be used for additional expenses such as meals, hotel costs, child care and parking.
When a person needs a bone marrow transplant they cannot work for many months and in most cases their caregiver is not able to work either. Transplants are only performed in a few hospitals in Canada so the family typically must live away from home for a few months. The lack of income coupled with increased expenses from having to live on the road can be quite devastating. Dealing with a life threatening disease is stressful enough; the Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program aims to reduce some of the financial burden.
The expansion of the program is possible thanks to generous donations from the community. Proceeds from an upcoming bowl-a-thon on August 25th, 2007 in Windsor will go toward funding the program as well as a generous gift of five thousand dollars from Green Shield Foundation Canada. “We are very grateful to Green Shield for supporting us in this way and for making our dream of expanding to Windsor Regional Hospital a reality” says president, Bryan Bedard. Prior to the expansion, the program was only available to families at Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario in London. With the association based in Windsor, the board is very happy to now offer this wonderful program in their home community as well.
Application forms for the Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program are available by phoning 519-564-4119, from the social worker at Windsor Regional Hospital or Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario.
Click Here for More Information.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Steven's Story
Have you wondered what it is like to donate bone marrow? We are very fortunate that Steven R. McEvoy has taken the time to document his experience. Here is Steven's Story that is published in Imprint and Steven's Blog.
Click Here to Read Steven's Story
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Our Condolences to the Pogubila Family
In February 2007 we reported on an article telling the story of Calgary's Evan Pogubila. Evan fought a battle against a rare immune system disorder, often referred to as 'bubble boy disease'. Sadly Evan Pogubila lost his battle on June 30, 2007 from complications that arose following a transplant operation at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children in March. To read more in The Calgary Herold, please click here.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Canadian Blood Services Seeking Funding for Public Cord Blood Bank
Two dozen experts met on the issue of a Public Cord Blood Bank, in Ottawa and all agree that there are not enough umbilical cord donors to meet the growing demand in Canada. Click on the following CTV and CBC links below to read more about this exciting news.
- Canadian Blood Services to seek $5M from provinces
- Blood agency seeks $5M to start umbilical cord blood bank
Monday, June 4, 2007
Awareness Month Bill Ordered for Third Reading
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is proud to announce that on May 31st, Bill 225 was Ordered for Third Reading. Essex MPP Bruce Crozier introduced his new Private Member’s Bill, the ‘Bone Marrow Awareness Month Act, 2007’ for first reading in the Ontario legislature on May 15, 2007. If passed, the bill will make the month of November of each year Bone Marrow Awareness Month. The creation of this bill was inspired by Katelyn Bedard and her parents, Joanne and Bryan, founders of the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association. Katelyn lost her battle with Leukemia at the tender age of three and a half, when she was unable to find a match within the bone marrow registry for the life-saving donation she needed.
Bryan and Joanne Bedard were in attendance at Queen's Park last Thursday for Second Reading of the bill. "Having Bone Marrow Awareness Month declared will bring added legitimacy to our cause,” said Bryan Bedard. “With hundreds of Canadians needing a bone marrow transplant each year, it is imperative that people educate themselves about the bone marrow registry and add their name to the list of potential donors to bring hope to those that desperately need to find a match to save their life.”
“My hope is that the memory of Katelyn Bedard inspires people to register to donate their bone marrow,” says MPP Crozier. “There are plenty of people throughout Essex County and the province of Ontario whose lives depend on it.”
Click on the link below to see the current status of Bill 255.
http://www.ontla.on.ca:80/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=1667
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Local Man's Life Saved By Stem Cell Donation
Chris LoDuca was diagnosed in 2003 with chronic myelogenous leukemia. In 2005 he received a peripheral blood stem cell transplant that saved his life. He is now encouraging others to join the registry. To read the full article in The Windsor Star please click here.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Cord-blood stem cells save lives. Why aren’t they readily available to Canadians?
"Canada does not have any large public-access, taxpayer-supported cord-blood banks. Instead, policy-makers have stood by while the collection and “banking” of this valuable resource has been commercialized, with parents who can afford it paying around $1,000 plus a yearly fee of over $100 to store their child’s cord blood. Upwards of 40,000 cord-blood samples are stored privately in Canada—approximately twenty-five times more than are stored publicly—and they are only available to immediate family members.
The chance of a family with no known risk factors needing this blood is remote. Dr. John Doyle, a pediatric hematologist at the Hospital for Sick Children, says that only about 1 in 150,000 families will use the cord blood they've paid to store if there is no diagnosed cancer in a sibling and no known metabolic disorder in the family.
The fact remains that cord-blood stem cells are a proven lifesaver, particularly for children who have been treated for cancer. Three years ago, it was Champagne who urged Héma-Québec, the province’s counterpart to Canadian Blood Services, to establish Canada’s only comprehensive publicly supported cord-blood bank. “I don’t know why there is not more interest in cord blood in the rest of Canada,” he says. More than one-third of terminally ill Canadian children who needed transplants from an unrelated donor could not find a match in 2005, reports Dr. Lothar Huebsch, former president of the Canadian Blood and Marrow Transplant Group. Huebsch estimates that each year, a matching source of hpcs from an unrelated donor cannot be found for between fifty and seventy-five children (and more adults) with acute leukemia, most of whom die from their illness. (The best source of hpcs is an hla-identical sibling without the disease, but only about a quarter of those who need transplants have such a sibling.) "To read more of this article from The Walrus Magazine click here.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Woodbridge family reaches out in desperate search for bone marrow donor
Nick, 33, is in a desperate search to find a bone marrow donor match. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2000 shortly after his wedding day. He received a stem cell transplant after going through chemotherapy and was in remission until recently.
The father of two -a four year old son and eight-month-old daughter - thought he got his life back until recently being diagnosed with leukemia. The home renovation contractor now needs a bone marrow transplant. To read more please view this article on 680news and to view Nick's website please click here. Someone is looking for a needle in a haystack… you might be the needle!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Cord Blood Collection Getting Increased Support in Metro Detroit
Through collaboration with the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, St. John Hospital and Medical Center has collected about 100 units of cord blood each month since June 2005. To read more on the Metro Detroit initiatives in The Detroit News click here.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Parents Urged to Donate Newborn's Cordblood
New guidlines from the American Pediatrics urge parents to donate their newborn's cordblood in order to save someone's life today. Parents should consider private storage only if an older sibling has cancer or certain genetic diseases that cord blood is proven to treat. Otherwise, everyone else should consider donating their child’s cord blood. The odds that a child would need an infusion of his or her own cord blood later in life are slim, between one in 1,000 and one in 200,000. To read the full article on msnbc please click here.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Boy in Bubble Awaiting Surgery
A 8-month old boy from Calgary's best chance for survival is a bone marrow transplant, which is not available in Calgary. Evan Pogubila suffers from severe combined immunodeficiency disease and has been living in isolation for three months. He is waiting for a call from Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children to say a bone marrow donor has finally been found. If a donor is found Evan and his family will have to move to Toronto for at least a year. Alberta will cover the medical expenses but the family must absorb all other expenses such as rent which can be $3,600.00 a month. To read the full article at the Vancouver Sun, click here.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Donating umbilical cord blood saves lives
A Chicago woman has been leukemia free for 4 1/2 years after receiving a cord blood transplant. Most cord blood transplants are done on children because there are not enough cells in one donation to treat an adult. However, doctors have begun treating adults with cord blood from two babies. Donating umbilical cord blood saves lives. Click the following link to read a Chicago Sun-Times article about Rhonda Kottke and her cord blood transplant: Full Story.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Study to predict whether bone marrow transplants are likely to trigger rejection.
Canadian researchers believe that they have found a way to predict whether bone marrow transplants from specific donors are likely to trigger rejection. If corroborated, this work would give doctors better information when selecting a donor for a patient and hopefully avoid life threatening complications such as chronic Graft vs. Host Disease. To read the Globe and Mail article about this discovery click here.
If you have not already become part of the Bone Marrow Registry, please click here for more information or click on the appropriate country in our Join the Registry section.
KBBMA Obtains Charitable Status
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association has been approved as a registered Canadian charity by Canada Revenue Agency. This means that we can now issue a Canadian charitable donation tax receipt for all donations received.
The funds we raise are used to support our awareness efforts and to fund our family support program. Any help you can provide is appreciated. You can make a donation to the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association online through the PayPal service:
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Partners for Life
We are very pleased to announce that the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association has signed up for the Canadian Blood Service's 'Partners for Life' Program.
Partners for Life is a nationwide program that is designed for corporate and community organizations. By joining the program,our organization made a commitment to save lives by donating blood as a team. The need for blood is ongoing, and patients that are treated for such things as leukemia, surgery, other cancers, and trauma depend on a stable supply of blood year round, which is why Partners for Life organizations have the power to save lives!
Patients that undergo a bone marrow transplant need a large number of blood transfusions both before and after their transplant as well as during their initial treatment. Including their pre-transplant treatement, it is not uncommon for a transplant patient to need over 100 transfusions. These patients cannot survive without the support of blood donors in their community. We feel this is another excellent way to help patients faced with a bone marrow transplant.
The KBBMA has pledged to donate 30 units of blood in 2007. If you would like to help the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Assoction achieve or surpass our pledge please contact us at info@givemarrow.net for more information. To have your blood donations counted towards our goal, click here to download a form that you can bring with you the next time you donate blood at a Canadian Blood Services clinic.
If your company or community group is interested in joining Partners for Life as well, please visit the Canadian Blood Services web site for more information.
Fraudulent Email Alert
It is with a great deal of frustration that we report that someone is fraudulently sending spam e-mail messages that are doctored to appear to be from someone@givemarrow.com. Please rest assured that these messages DO NOT originate from our organization and we are unfortunately the target of a malicious attack. Please refer to this article for more information about this type of attack:
Thursday, November 2, 2006
U.S. to create national cord blood bank
The United States government is looking to fund a national umbilical cord blood bank. This is great news as too many patients are unable to find a bone marrow donor through the bone marrow registry. Here is an excerpt from the Associated Press article that appeared on the MSNBC web site on October 16, 2006:
Dr. John Wagner can screen 6 million people worldwide in search of a perfect bone marrow match for one of his leukemia patients. Yet, finding that match is often impossible.
"Sixty percent, if not more, can’t go on because they can’t find a donor," said Wagner, who works at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center.
Prospects may improve in coming years for the 15,000 blood cancer patients each year who can’t find suitable transplants.
The federal government is moving aggressively to create the first national banking system for umbilical cord blood, which contains the same potentially lifesaving stem cells as bone marrow.
"We can find donors for everyone. When I say everyone, upward of 90 percent," Wagner said.
- Click here to read the full article.
There is a statistic quoted in the article that is worth emphasizing:
15,000 blood cancer patients each year can’t find suitable transplants
That is a truly alarming number of patients that are unable to get the transplant they desperately need. Please do what you can to help by joining the bone marrow registry today!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Actor Malcolm Frederick Seeks Donor
British actor Malcolm Frederick has been diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma called Mantle Cell Lymphoma and needs a bone marrow transplant to cure his disease. His siblings are not a match so he needs to find an unrelated donor. An article about Malcolm and his search for a donor appears on the Black UK Online web site.
In Canada, the bone marrow registry is comprised almost entirely of Caucasians. Since patients require that their donor be of the same ethnicity, it is problematic that certain ethnicities are under represented in the bone marrow registry. Here are some statistics about the Canadian Unrelated Mone Marrow Donor Registry published in a Toronto Star article on October 2, 2006 that illustrate the pressing need for donors of various ethnicities to step forward and join the registry.
Approximately 230,000 Canadians are registered:
| Ethnicity | % of Registry |
|---|---|
| Black | 0.5% |
| Aboriginal | 1% |
| East Indian | 1.6% |
| Asian | 3.6% |
| Hispanic | 0.3% |
| Caucasian | 83% |
Please join the registry today!
St. Jude Develops New Leukemia Treatment
Here is an excerpt from an article in the Memphis Business Journal about the success that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is having with performing transplants using partially matched parents as donors.
One of the most pernicious forms of leukemia is showing cracks in the armor in the face of a new stem cell treatment developed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Under the guidance of hematologist Gregory Hale, St. Jude clinicians have successfully demonstrated a technique for blood stem cell transplants from close relatives to attack leukemia that has already resisted standard treatments
The technique harvests stem cells from parents and unmatched siblings; that closeness avoids the need of an aggressive onslaught of toxic chemicals that typically accompanies transplants. It means a majority of patients with leukemia and non-cancerous blood disorders may be candidates for stem cell treatment.
- Read the complete article here.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Children's Fest 2006
Children's Fest 2006 took place the weekend of Sept. 16 and 17. The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association was happy to participate in this wonderful event. There were lots of fun things for kids to do. The Windsor Fire and Police departments were on-hand to let the kids hop inside a real fire truck and police car. Throughout the day, a variety of groups came on stage to entertain the crowd, with singing, dancing, gymnastics demonstrations and more. A number of exhibitors had a booth setup with an imagination station for the kids.
As always, this year's Children's Fest was a huge success. Congratulations to Rotary Club of Windsor for organizing such a great event and thank you for inviting KBBMA to participate. A big thank you to the volunteers that helped out at our booth throughout the weekend!
Monday, September 11, 2006
5th Annual John Fox Memorial Charity Golf Tournament
The 5th annual John Fox tournament was held on Sunday August 20, at Tilbury Golf Club in memory of our good friend.
Through the generosity of the 88 participants and numerous sponsors, $4,500 was raised for the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association (KBBMA).
We would like to thank all the participants and sponsors. A special thank you to: Herald Press, Tilbury Golf Club, Don 'Sparky' Leonard of Provincial Chrysler, Herb Newton of the Unity Group, Green Shield, CUPE Local 543, CAW Locals 444 and 200, Berkshire Group, Deloitte, Dr. John Bell, Freeds, Generex, Great Lakes Safety Products, Keg, Indcom Leasing, Motor City Community Credit Union, National Bank, PondsnPlants, Spagos, Tamar Building Products, Tecumseh Golf, University of Windsor Ctr. For Executive Education, Village Green Golf Range, Walk in Mortgage Place and the Windsor Family Credit Union.
Ken Roughton, Dennis Kelly and Fred Teno
On behalf of KBBMA, our sincerest thanks to Ken, Dennis and Fred for organizing this wonderful golf tournament.
Monday, Aug. 28, 2006
Thank you for making Bowling For Bone Marrow 2006 a Success!
We would like to announce that our First Event for KBBMA 'Bowling for Bone Marrow' was a Success! We would like to extend our thanks to our 147 Bowlers and their generous sponsors. Thanks to you, we raised over $14,000.00. Our number one goal for Saturday was to put on an event that would be fun for the whole family. As you can see in the pictures, it was accomplished. We would like to extend a big thanks to Bowlero for giving our event its home and providing our guests excellent service. Another big thanks to our event sponsors,
Canadian Tire - Walker Rd
Rob Sassine & Staff 29Park
Mancuso's Trattoria
Moxie's Classic Grill
Nancy Leavoy
Rene & Melba Bedard
Amelia and Nicole - for bringing smiles to our faces
With your support, we can make a difference. Remember, talk to your family and friends about the Bone Marrow Registry, it saves lives.
Click the images below to view larger size.
 |
 |
 |
Monday, Aug. 13, 2006
In Memory of Uzoma Azuh
It is with great saddness, to report that Uzoma has passed away last night. Uzoma fought a courageous battle with leukemia, unfortunately a bone marrow donor could not be found.
We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Uzoma. We will always remember Uzo's strength, and willingness to fight this disease.
You are all in our prayers.
Updated August 15, 2006: Here is an open letter written by Uzo's brother, Ogo:
Dear All,
My brother Uzoma Ifeanyi Azuh passed away to be with the Lord yesterday Sunday, August 13th at 8:30pm. After 8 rounds of chemotherapy, he died of multi-organ failure before he could find a match. Uzoma fought for his life; he begged to live. Even when the doctors told him to go home, he refused and said "And do what? Go to Disneyland? What else am I going to be thinking about?"
His campaign was for Bone Marrow donation awareness and testing-- so that no one would EVER have to go through what he or my family went through. Uzo's philosophy was always. if things were hard for him, he would make it easier for the next person. He is my brother and I can assure you, that he was as close to a perfect human being as you could find. He was the most selfless individual I know. His faith in humanity encouraged him and his faith in God strengthened him. This World lost an unbelievable gift. Uzo was loved by all he had the pleasure of being in contact with; Uzo loved all. He will be missed dearly.
In the mean time, please, continue to spread the word about Leukemia; to give minorities and others like Uzo a chance of survival. It's a small world after all! All we can do as humans is to do the best for one another while we live. Thank you to those of you who took the "HLA Bone Marrow Typing" test and to many more of you who will. May the good Lord bless each and ev eryone of you abundantly. I will continue championing this cause that took Uzo's life. Uzo has received the Chrysler award along with his friend Ron Giles (www.donorcorner.com), for the awareness they have brought to Bone Marrow Typing. Please continue Uzo's legacy by joining me in increasing names in the Bone Marrow Registry especially those of under-represented minorities across the country and around the globe-- because you never know who you could save with your God-given genes. Also, if you know any who are pregnant ask them to ask their doctors about donating their baby's umbilical cord to the National cord blood registry.
Thank you all so much for supporting us and others who have or will in the future fall victim to this terrible illness.
Ogo Azuh
Funeral Service Information: 3005 Temple Dr.
Windsor Ontario, Canada
Thursday Aug 17, 2006 10:00am<
Interment Information
Greenlawn Memorial Gardens
Hwy #3 Windsor Ont Canada
Visitation Information: Families First Funeral Home & Tribute Centre
3260 Dougall Ave.
Windsor, Ontario Canada
4:00pm to 9:00pm Wednesday Aug 16th
For funeral information: www.familiesfirst.net
Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2006
Summer Event: Bowling For Bone Marrow
Reminder that our Bowling For Bone Marrow is this month on August 26th. We would love to see you, your friends, family come out and 'Throw a Strike for the Gift of Life'. Funds raised in this event will help us achieve our goals for our Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program and educate our community on the NEED to join the Bone Marrow Registry.
If you are unable to attend our Bowling For Bone Marrow Event and would still like to help, please make a Donation by clicking the button below:.
We look forward to seeing you and having a great day!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Victoria Angel -- Registry of Hope
In 2001, Mrs. Patrizia Durante was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 27 weeks into her first pregnancy in Montreal. Prior to the delivery of her baby, Patrizia had the foresight to ask her doctors to collect and store her child’s umbilical cord blood. At thirty-one weeks gestation, a healthy Victoria Angel was born, and her umbilical cord blood stem cells were collected and cryopreserved. This decision, ultimately, is why Patrizia is alive and well today. All other treatment modalities had failed for Mrs. Durante and fortunately her baby’s umbilical stem cells matched Patrizia’s needs. These cells replenished her bone marrow and cured her leukemia. Little Victoria Angel had saved her mother’s life.
In early 2004, a company 'Cells for Life', located in Markham, Ontario took the steps necessary to address the need of publicly-accessible cord blood bank in Canada, they created the Victoria Angel - Registry of Hope. The goal for Cells for Life is to maintain a private cord blood storage facility and to establish a publicly-accessible cord blood progam as an adjunct to their present sevices.
Members of the Cells for Life team believe that, in the perfect world, everyone should bank their child’s cord blood. However, it is estimated that less that 1% of parents in North America, at present, store their child’s cord blood at birth. The rest of the valuable cord blood is thrown away as waste! Many people are unaware of the potential that the stem cells hold. Unfortunately, not everyone realizes that they have access to this important treatment option.
To read more about Cells for Life and the Victoria Angel - Registry of Hope click HERE.
To read about the process of making a donation, click HERE.
Thursday, July 6, 2006
PayPal Service Lets you Help KBBMA Online
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is a non-profit organization operating in the province of Ontario. We do not receive any government funding and rely solely on the generosity of private donations.
It is thanks to our generous contributors that we are able to offer our Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program which provides direct financial support to families dealing with a bone marrow transplant. As of today, the program is a pilot project available to families at Children's Hopsital of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. Our hope is that with successful fundraising we can expand this program and offer it to many more transplant referral centers, both paediatric and adult over time.
We are excited to announce that we can now accept donations online through the PayPal service. Click the button below to make a donation online.
*** Note - The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the province of Ontario. However, we do not yet have a charity registration number and as such cannot issue a tax receipt at this time.
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Windsor Star Article about KBBMA
We officially launched the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association this past week by issuing a press release to announce to the public that we have created this non-profit organization. The Windsor Star published an excellent article about bone marrow donation and the association we have started. Click here to read the article.
At KBBMA, we have two central goals:
- Raise awareness about donating bone marrow and cord blood
- Provide financial assistance to families dealing with a bone marrow transplant through our Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program
Friday, June 30, 2006
A Year ago Katie earned her
Angel Wings...
If only there was a match for Katie...Someone is looking for a needle in a haystack.... you might be the needle! We MISS YOU KATIE. |
Sunday, June 25, 2006
KBBMA at Carla Can Sing
Last week, we were happy to participate in the Carla Can Sing Walk-a-Thon. We setup our display with information about bone marrow and cord blood donation. We also ran the "Match Game" for the kids, a game where you search for bright coloured toys in a "haystack" of crinkled paper. The kids had lots of fun with this and we had the chance to talk to a number of people about the importance of donating bone marrow.
The Carla Can Sing Walk-a-Thon is a fundraiser for the Barbara Parry Paediatric Oncology Asociation, a wonderful organization that provides support to children with cancer and their families. They make dolls named Carla (for girls) and Carl (for boys) that they bring to kids with cancer. The dolls have removable hair (to simulate the effects of chemo) and come with an educational book and audio CD. The dolls provide a lot of comfort and help make dealing with cancer less scary for the kids. This year, the Carla Can Sing Walk-a-Thon was dedicated to Katelyn Bedard, who was the first ever honorary "Carla" at the Walk-a-thon two years ago. If you have a moment, please visit the Carla can Sing web site.
Thursday, June 8, 2006
Art In The Park 2006
at the info table
Art in the Park, a 2-day outdoor art and craft show, was held this past weekend at Willistead Park in Windsor, ON. Just as it is every year, Art in the Park was a huge success. This year, the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in this event.
We had a booth setup in the Children's activity area. For the kids, we ran a game called the "Match Game". Inspired by our slogan, "Someone is looking for a needle in a haystack... you might be the needle', the game challenged children to find matching items in a haystack of sizzle pack (kind of like Easter grass, but made of paper). Players chose a colourful toy from a basket to search for.
They would then climb into the tent and search for the item inside that matched the one they selected. Once they successfully found the matching item, they were given a sucker as a prize. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun with this. In fact, a half dozen kids or so returned to our tent multiple times over the weekend to play the game again.
While the kids played the "Match Game", our volunteers took the opportunity to say hello to their parents and give them a brochure about bone marrow donation. Over the course of the two days we connected with over 120 people. Hopefully many of these will take the time to learn more about donating bone marrow and choose to join the bone marrow registry.
A very special thank you to the following companies for donating items for our display:
- Banner donated by Superior Signs and Designs
- Gazebo donated by WalMart, Dougall Ave.
- Tent donated by Real Canadian Superstore Store, Walker Rd.
- 2nd Gazebo donated by Employees of the National Bank of Canada
Thank you as well to all of the volunteers that helped out. We also thank the many wonderful people that dropped by our tent. If you came by and are visiting this web site now, let us know by leaving us a message on our discussion board.
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Situation Critical for Uzoma
A few months ago we posted a story on this site about Uzoma Azuh from Windsor, ON. We are saddened to report that Uzoma received bad news recently that his Leukemia has come back. He needs a bone marrow transplant immediately. He still has not been able to find a bone marrow donor despite a tremendous effort by his friends and family to get people onto the bone marrow registry. If you haven't done so yet, PLEASE join the registry. Another way to help Uzoma is to contribute to the Uzoma Azuh Fund. This fund was established to pay the cost of getting people in Nigeria, where Uzoma's family is from, tested and added to the bone marrow registry. Please do whatever you can to help Uzoma, his life is at stake. You can read more about Uzoma on the Donor Corner web site.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Cousin Remembers Katelyn Bedard
The photo to the right is of Katelyn with her brother Bryan (center) and her cousins Zack and Brayden (rear / left respectively). The photo was taken at Christmas time a few years ago when Katie was in the hospital. Zack did something truly amazing last month when he had a road hockey party for his 9th birthday and invited all of his friends. On the invitation, he told everyone that he did not want them to bring any presents to his birthday party. Instead, he told them if they wanted to do something for him, that they could make a donation to the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association. None of us at KBBMA knew Zack had done this until we were pleasantly surprised to see him in attendance when we had our board meeting in May. He told us that he had something to tell us and we were all in awe when he told us what he had done and with a big smile on his face told us that he had raised over $500 for KBBMA. Deservedly so, all of the board members gave Zack a round of applause and thanked him for this generous act. How amazing that a 9 year old boy would have the maturity to do something so special in memory of his cousin. A special thank you to all of Zack's friends who came to his party and made this special donation.
But wait, there's more. Zack did something else quite remarkable in memory of Katie. When asked to write a poem for his grade 3 class, Zack wrote this beautiful poem about her.
Everyone misses her
Only 4 years old
Cancer
I feel sadness in my heart
I wish you could come down and play with me
I'll be the king and you be the princess
See her picture and remember
Died in the hospital
I'll see you in heaven
Wow, what a special young man! Thank you so much Zack!
Monday, April 24, 2006
Announcing the Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is thrilled to announce the launch of our Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program. This program will provide financial support to families that have a family member that is having a bone marrow transplant.
As a newly founded non-profit organization, our available funds are limited. At this time we are only able to offer this program to patients from Children's Hospital of Western Ontario. We have selected CHWO for a pilot launch of the support program because this is the hospital that Katelyn was treated at. Over time, we hope to grow the program to include many other centers, both paediatric and adult.
The reason we started this program is because when someone needs a bone marrow transplant, both he or she and their caregiver (spouse, parent etc.) need to take time off work for many months. Since there are only a handful of transplant centers, this usually means living on the road for the duration. Not only is there no money coming in during this time, but they are faced with increased travel costs, meal costs, parking etc. The stress of this is on top of the stress they are already feeling from dealing with a devastating illness. We hope to raise money that can be used to help these families.
- Click here for more information about the program.
To apply for the Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program, either contact the social worker at Children's Hospital of Western Ontario or send a message to info@givemarrow.net.
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is funded exclusively by donations. If you would like to make a donation and help us assist families dealing with a bone marrow transplant, please send it to:
Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association
3064 Fairlane Cr
Windsor, ON
N8W 4Y6
Introducing our Board of Directors
We would like to formally introduce the founding board of directors of the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association:
| Bryan Bedard | President |
| Joanne Bedard | Vice President |
| Melba Bedard | Secretary |
| Nancy Leavoy | Treasurer, Chair - Transplant Family Support Program |
| Jackie Leardi | Chair - Public Relations & Marketing |
| Nicholle Kuzniak | Chair - Web Site |
| Kevin Mayea | Chair - Fundraising |
| Rhonda Mayea | |
| Carolyn Mayea | |
| Paul Hammond | |
| Frances Hammond | |
| Andrea Sulyok | |
| Cherylann Stachow | |
| Mark Ruttle | |
| Ken Roughton | |
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Julia's Story - Part 2
In the last update, we posted the first part of the story about Julia, an adorable little girl that was diagnosed with leukemia when she was just 7 months old and needed a bone marrow transplant. The second part of her story has been posted now. Here is an excerpt:
Julia May Krause has recently celebrated her One Year Anniversary since she received her Bone Marrow Transplant on March 10, 2005. Twenty - three days after Julia's transplant, the transplant was considered successful. Successful now means hope, more time to enjoy the little things that are not so little. Having a successful transplant does not mean their journey is completed, it another accomplishment in her journey to healing.
Thank you to Charlene and Mike Krause for sharing Julia's Story. It is such an amazing and touching story. There is more strength and courage in little Julia than most adults have. We continue to pray for you! Mike and Charlene maintain a CaringBridge site for Julia where you can read a journal of her progress and check out many cute pictures. Her site is www.caringbridge.org/canada/julia
Site Re-designed
The layout of our web site has been re-designed. We're really excited about it and hope you like it. Let us know what you think by leaving us a message on our Discussion Board. Some of the new features include:
- The "I Joined the Registry" guestbook.
- The links to join the registry appear in the top right corner of every page.
- There is a calendar of events on the main page
New Links
Here are few more links we came across:
- Siblings that BOTH need a transplant. Alexandra found a match, Matthew still looking
- Hope for Hannah
- Nice site about cord blodd donation and blood donation
- A student at Kettering University donated stemc cells
- A bone marrow transplant for Cathy Holder
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Julia May Krause - Celebrating One Year Since Her Transplant
We would like to introduce you to Julia May Krause and honor Julia and her family on Givemarrow.net by telling their story. Please check back for our next article.
Charlene & Mike Krause were given less than 10% odds of conceiving a child. On January 7, 2004, they were fortunate enough to give birth to a beautiful blonde haired blue-eyed girl - she was the epitome of healthiness, and the Hospital called her the 'miracle baby'. She was named Julia May Krause. Their dream of such a perfect and wonderful life had just begun. Read on...
Thank you to Charlene and Mike Krause for sharing Julia's Story. We will be posting another article on Julia shortly. Please come back to read more about Baby Julia. Way to go Julia! We continue to pray for you! Mike and Charlene maintain a CaringBridge site for Julia where you can read a journal of her progress and check out many cute pictures. Her site is www.caringbridge.org/canada/julia
Gift of Life Brochure
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, with the support of DaimlerChrysler Canada and the CAW published a wellness newsletter in January about the importance of blood and bone marrow donation. They graciously featured Katie's story in the brochure. You can download a PDF version of the brochure by clicking here. Feel free to print this out or to e-mail it to your friends and family. We cannot thank the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, DaimlerChrysler Canada and the CAW enough for their support.
New Links
We've come across a number of good links the past little while and decided it was time to finally get them onto our site:
- Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches
- Yao Ming (NBA Star) promotes bone marrow donation
- Stories about Leukemia and BMT survivors on ACOR
- Karmen Nizi had a bone marrow transplant
- Brian E. Beattie donated bone marrow
- Christopher's CaringBridge site (an angel watching over us)
- The many benefits of donating cord blood
- A very thorough list of world bone marrow registries
- Excellent foundation dedicated to increasing mixed heritage bone marrow donations
- FAQ on cord blood donation
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Jennifer Lopez Seeks Bone Marrow Donors for Woman
Jennifer Lopez has been doing a really good thing lately. She has been doing everything she can to help Janet Ovalles, a 29-year-old of Dominican descent who needs a transplant from a matching donor to survive.
Here is an excerpt from a Washington Post article from Sunday, February 11, 2006:
Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez is using her starpower to rally support for a fellow Latina who is suffering from blood cancer. Lopez, 36, is urging Hispanics in New York City to donate blood marrow to help Janet Ovalles, a 29-year-old of Dominican descent who needs a transplant from a matching donor to survive.
"I am a young Hispanic woman, so is Janet. I could empathize with her situation so much," Lopez said in a statement released Friday by DKMS, the bone marrow donor center that is organizing donor drives for Ovalles.
"These things just make you realize that we're all interconnected and depend on one another," said Lopez, who is of Puerto Rican descent.
Doctors say that a bone marrow transplant is Ovalles' only chance for recovery and the most suitable matches are from people of the same ethnic background.
But with Hispanics sharply underrepresented in the pool of registered donors, the prognosis is bleak. For Ovalles, there was no match in her family or among the 10 million registered donors worldwide.
Routine Medical Test Turns Life Upside Down
Paul Gilbert, a 36-year-old Kingsville man had a bone marrow transplant last December. There is a good article in the Windsor Star today about him. Paul shares how he is not only dealing with the physical pain and fear that comes from Leukemia and its treatment, but how difficult it is for his family financially with him having to be off work for 2 1/2 years.
Here is an excerpt from the article:
He had the transplant Dec. 1 in Hamilton.
The procedure was pretty easy, said Gilbert.
"It's like a blood transfusion," he said. "You lie back and let the bone marrow flow through the IV."
One of the hardest things to endure is being jobless, said Gilbert.
Doctors told him he'd likely be off work 21/2 years. "That set me back more than anything," he said. "Money is a big thing. When you're working, there is money coming in. All of sudden, you're off work."
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Discussion Group
We're really excited to announce that we have added a discussion group to our web site. The hope is that it will grow and become a great place for people to interact on bone marrow transplant related topics. Anyone can read the messages but you will need to create an account to post your own messages (takes less than a minute).
Fight for Tom
Tom Garrett had a bone marrow transplant a few years ago when he was 15 to treat his Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). One of the complications of bone marrow transplants is that patients often develop Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD). Basically, the new marrow they receive detects their body as being foreign and attacks it. In Tom's case, GVHD is causing a really bad skin rash. To treat his GVHD, Tom needs special treatment by a photopherisis machine. Tom lives in Ontario and unfortunately there isn't a photopherisis machine in Ontario so he had to travel far from home to Calgary. There is a machine in Toronto but it is not in service.
Tom's bone marrow donor, Ron Giles runs a web site about Tom, www.fightfortom.com. There is a petition on the site to ask the Ontario government to put the photopherisis machine into service so that families that need it can stay closer to home.
Here is a message from Ron asking for your help by signing the petition:
The cancer photopheresis machine is approved to be used on GVHD and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and is being tested on many things such as AIDS, Crohn's disease and many autoimmune diseases.
There are only 3 machines in Canada. One is in Alberta, the other in BC and the 3rd we just found out is in Toronto collecting dust.
When you get a bone marrow transplant as you are probably aware, you have a good chance of getting GVHD and require photopheresis.
The boy that I donated bone marrow to, has developed GVHD and needed the treatments. He had to be sent out to Calgary.
The family has to be separated for about 6 months to a year until his treatments are finished. We discovered that there is a machine in Toronto collecting dust. I have put a online petition on the www.donorcorner.com website and I am encouraging everyone to fill it out.
The young teen is doing amazing with his treatments. The doctors can't believe the progress. He doesn't need his wheelchair and he can extend his arm alot now. He will be off of the steroids very shortly.
A story about the machine appeared in the Toronto Sun on pg 5. January 27,2006
Could you please pass the website on and have people fill out the petition.
Thanks
Ron Giles
www.donorcorner.com
519-991-4919
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Hope for Rajan
Rajan is a 7-year-old boy in California that has had a cord blood transplant and is doing well. Rajan was not able to find a donor in the unrelated bone marrow donor registry. Rajan is of Asian-Indian background and this ethnicity is underepresented in the world bone marrow registries.
Here is an excerpt from Rajan's web site, www.hopeforrajan.org about the pressing need for Asian-Indian bone marrow donors:
The subsequent realization that there was not a matched related donor further disheartened us all. In our search for a matched unrelated donor for Rajan, we have discovered how scarce this potential is for patients of our ethnicity. Our family is originally from India , and the percentage of South Asians on the National Marrow Donor Program registry is astoundingly low. This is ultimately a CRISIS OF GREAT NEED AND LITTLE TIME. There is an undeniable urgency to the situation that Rajan and other South Asian patients face. With a 1 in 20,000 chance of matching someone within your race, and the South Asian donor pool percentage being what it currently is, the chances for patients of Indian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani descent are clearly not hopeful.
But we, as a community, can change this; we can come together as a people and make a substantial difference, for one and for many. We can no longer allow our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers to fight this battle alone. There is no comprehensible reason that their burden should be as it is; we are certain that this is a problem that stems from a lack of awareness and education, NOT from a lack of generosity, charity, or kindness.
The only way to know if you can help Rajan or any of the many other patients looking for a bone marrow donor is to join the bone marrow registry today.
Monday, December 19, 2005
African-Canadians Urged to Help Uzoma Azuh, Leukemia Patient
Uzoma Azuh is a 22-year-old medical student living in Windsor, Ontario. There is only one thing on Uzoma and his family's Christmas list this year, a life saving bone marrow transplant. The trouble is, nobody in the wolrd bone marrow registry is a match for him.
Here is an excerpt from the Windsor Star article about Uzoma that appeared in the December 9, 2005 edition:
All Uzoma Azuh wants for Christmas is a bone marrow transplant to save his life.
It's a simple request that has become elusive after a search through the worldwide registry of 10 million bone marrow donors came up empty. Azuh is appealing to Windsor residents, especially those of African heritage, to volunteer to give a part of themselves to save his life.
"I would like to appeal to the African-Canadian community to come out in full force to give the quintessential gift of life." said Paul Ocheje, a law professor at the University of Windsor and leader in the Windsor African community.
"Unless we are able to find a bone marrow match, there will be a problem for (Azuh)," Ocheje said.
The 22-year-old Riverside high school graduate, who came to Canada with his family as a teenager from Nigeria via Scotland, was first diagnosed with acute monocytic leukemia in late September.
Azuh, an accomplished student and athlete who wrestled and ran track at Riverside, took his second year off from medical school at Wayne State University as he undergoes chemotherapy treatments. Over the next few months he will continue with chemotherapy to keep the cancer at bay until a donor is found.
"I've had to stop my busy life," said Azuh Thursday while wearing a facemask to protect his vulnerable immune system from germs. "I used to sleep three or four hours a night (because I was so busy). I wanted to graduate from medical school at 25 and become a cardiologist by 32. It's been tough."
While Azuh hopes to find a bone marrow donor match for himself, he emphasized he wants to inspire donors to join the registry to aid anyone who is suffering. "It's like playing the lottery," said Azuh, who used to volunteer at the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre. "Anyone could be a match. You just don't know."
In Canada, there are 220,000 people on the bone marrow donor list -- only about 1000 of whom are of black descent -- while 224 patients received unrelated bone marrow transplants last year, said Ron Vezina, spokesman for the Canadian Blood Services.
The only way to know if you can help Uzoma or any of the many other patients looking for a bone marrow donor is to join the bone marrow registry today.
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Dana-Farber encourages people to become bone marrow and blood stem cell donors
There is an interesting article on Seacoastonline.com encouraging people to consider bone marrow donation. Here is an excerpt:
"There is a need for donors of all races, but the need for minority donors is urgent. Because "tissue type" is inherited like skin and eye color, patients are most likely to find a match from someone of a similar ethnic background. Because individuals with minority ethnic backgrounds comprise only 25 percent of the national registry, patients from minority ethnic backgrounds are less likely than Caucasians to find a matched donor.
Joining the national registry is a simple process and requires only a small blood test, but becoming a volunteer donor is a serious commitment. Those who join the registry are asked to remain committed until their 61st birthday. They are asked to commit to donating to any patient, anywhere in the world, regardless of the patient’s sex, age, race or ethnicity. This pledge can mean the difference between life and death for the patient."
Read the rest of the article here.
Bone Marrow Drive Gives Marine Hope
US Marine Staff Sgt. Gustavo Aleman Jr., 3rd Recruit Training Battalion administrative chief needs your help. Read about his battle with myelodysplastic syndrome and his search for a bone marrow donor here.
Shelley's Perspective: "Could you only imagine"
There are alot of stories out there that discourage people from joining the registry. "It hurts" or "It's a very serious procedure, you could be home in bed for a long time". These are just 2 of the many I had heard - prior to making my decision. I had NO reservations considering that there are so many people who need OUR help. If only "I" could be the one to save someones life. Could you only imagine - YOU - could really do that.
Shelley - Windsor, Ont.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Amy Katz Can't Find a Bone Marrow Donor - Please Help!
Amy Katz is a beautiful twelve-year-old girl in Pittsburgh, PA. Diagnosed in 2003 with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), her life hangs precariously in the balance. Amy desperately needs a bone marrow transplant to cure her disease and to save her life.
A search of the world wide bone marrow registries turned up no matches. We need to change that by getting as many new people into the registry as possible.
The right person is out there, we just need to find them so they can come to her rescue. Maybe it's you! Don't wait. Don't put it off because Amy needs your help now!
A wonderful "army" of friends is doing everything in their power to help Amy. Please take a moment to visit the Amy's Army web site at www.amysarmy.com.
Click here to find out how to join the registry in your country today.
A few new links have been added to the site:
- Childhood Cancer Foundation
- The Anthony Nolan Trust (a UK based bone marrow registry)
- The MAX Foundation
Monday, October 3, 2005
Did you know that umbilical cord blood can be donated to public cord blood banks and used for stem cell transplants?
For many patients that require a bone marrow transplant, stem cells from umbilical cord blood are a viable option. This is especially true for children that need a transplant, because their small body size means they need a smaller quantity of stem cells and there is usually more than enough in a unit of cord blood. Katelyn, the little girl that inspired this site, actually managed to find a suitable cord blood unit in a public cord blood bank but wasn’t able to take advantage of it because her disease relapsed before she got to transplant. The point is that cord blood is a source of hope for many patients that are having trouble finding a bone marrow donor.
If you are an expectant mother, please consider donating the cord blood when your baby is born. There are some things to think about and criteria that needs to be met. The web site for the Alberta Cord Blood Bank in Canada is an excellent source of information on the topic. Here are a couple of links to find out more:
Donating Cord Blood….
- In Canada – Alberta Cord Blood Bank
*** Anyone in Canada can donate to this blood bank and the bank is accessible nation wide to patients that need their help, not just Albertans. - In the United States – The National Marrow Donor Program web site can point you to a cord blood bank in your area.
Monday, September 19, 2005
It has been over a month since the last update. In the future, we plan to add a little something to the site at least once a week to hopefully keep you coming back.
A new story has been posted to the site. It's Bryan's story of his experience donating stem cells a few months ago. Click here to read all about it.
We would love to post even more stories to the site. In particular, it would be nice to get the perspective of someone who benefited from a bone marrow transplant. We'd love to hear what it meant to you that a donor was found for you. Send to stories@givemarrow.net.
A few new links have been posted to the site:
- Saturn (the car company) has has a wonderful section on their corporate web site about organ, tissue and marrow donation.
- The Marrow Foundation
- Childcan - The Childhood Cancer Research Association
- Carla Can Sing - Barbara Parry Paediatric Research Association
- Hannah's CaringBridge Site (AML patient)
Thursday, August 18, 2005
The GiveMarrow.net site launched this week and word is starting to spread. Already, we have received many encouraging e-mail messages and offers to help. GiveMarrow.net is the web site of the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association which is a new organization. We are still in the process of getting ourselves organized but we wanted to get this site up right away so that we can start helping immediately. Click here to read more about what GiveMarrow.net and the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association are all about.
We were very touched that Kelle wrote us today and sent us a wonderful story about her experience as a bone marrow donor. Please take a minute and read Kelle's Story.
A few new links have been posted to the site:
- Czech National Marrow Donors Registry (Thanks Simone for sending this link to us!)
- Recipe for Hope (Beth, AML patient)
- Brandon's CaringBridge site (ALL patient)
- Lucas' CaringBridge site (ALL patient)