Blood donor clinic, OneMatch registration continues until Nov. 27

If you are considering the gift of life through a blood donation, Canadian Blood Services will be on campus Nov. 25 and 26 from 11am to 4pm, and Nov. 27 from 10am to 2pm, in East Bear Pit, Ross Building.

Each year, York University shows its community spirit by saving lives through hosting Canadian Blood Services on campus.  On average, one unit of blood helps three people, so the donations will be used to help hundreds of people in the Greater Toronto Area.

What would it take to make you give blood?

  • If you knew you knew you could save a life, would you?
  • If you knew only 3.5 per cent of eligible Canadians give blood, would you?
  • If you knew that patients in our area hospitals use at least 650 to 700 units of blood each day, would you help by donating blood?
  • How about if you knew that cancer patients use an average of 8 units of blood products each week during their treatment?

For more information on how to become a donor or to schedule an opportunity to donate during one of the many clinics throughout the community, visit the Canadian Blood Services website or call 1-888-2-DONATE.

Those interested in donating can sign up online by selecting a date and time.

OneMatch stem cell registration

Consider saving a life a different way next week by joining Canada’s unrelated stem cell registry called OneMatch. Canadian Blood Services will be on campus from Nov. 23 to 26, from 11am to 4pm, and on Nov. 27 from 10am to 2pm, inviting people to take part in a “swab event” in East Bear Pit, Ross Building.

OneMatch is a program dedicated to recruiting healthy, committed volunteer donors for patients in need of a stem cell transplant. Hundreds of Canadians require a donor for a stem cell transplant every year and more than 75 per cent of them will rely on someone they don’t know to help save their life. Right now up to 1,000 Canadian patients are waiting for a stem cell transplant to treat potentially life-threatening illnesses such as leukemia.

Currently, there are just over 335,000 potential donors registered on Canada’s network, but more are needed so that a greater percentage of patients can live. Those interested will need to fill out a health questionnaire next week and swab the inside of their cheek, which will take about 10 minutes.

To join the registry, you must:

  • be between the ages of 17 and 35;
  • be in good health;
  • have valid provincial health care; and
  • be willing to help any patient in need.

For more information on OneMatch, visit blood.ca.