Patient resources and support

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Stem cell donors don’t just make a difference, they make all the difference.

Canadian Blood Services’ Stem Cell Registry recruits volunteer donors who can give blood stem cells to patients in need. Most of the time, patients must rely on unrelated volunteer donors from a registry, often with a similar ethnic background to increase their chances of finding a match.

If you or a loved one are searching for a matching stem cell donor we are here to help.

Resources and support are available for you and your loved ones during your search for a stem cell donor

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Host your own stem cell recruitment drive

We provide free supplies, templates, and support to help you host an event where people join the registry and have their cheek swab completed onsite.

Your event could be a turning point that matches you or a patient in need to their stem cell donor.

Host a recruitment drive
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Share your story to inspire people to join the registry

Whether you're a patient or family member, sharing your story is a powerful way to inspire others to register to donate stem cells or cord blood.

Share your story with us
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Spread your message

Every patient’s story matters. When people hear your story, they can’t help but be moved to act. Spread your message further by sharing your story and information about the stem cell registry with news and social media.

Use our media toolkit

Read about patients searching for a stem cell match and those whose lives were saved by generous donors

All patients
Misha & Zoey

One matching stem cell donor could save these twin toddlers

Information Inspiration
Twin toddlers Zoey and Misha Prajapati need a stem cell donor to help them recover from a rare genetic condition which puts them at risk of severe infections from common bacteria and fungi. Their parents hope their family's story encourages more people from their South Asian community to join the stem cell registry.
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Melissa Nazareth

Could you save her life? Melissa Nazareth needs to find a stem cell match

Information Inspiration
Melissa Nazareth has been searching for a stem cell donor match since she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2021. She’s counting on potential stem cell donors in Canada and globally to help her beat cancer.
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Man in red jacket smiling and looking through window

Hope and healing, thanks to blood donors and a stem cell donor

Information Inspiration
Blood donors helped Emmanuel Boakye survive sickle cell disease. Then a stem cell donation from his sister delivered a life beyond it.
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Stem cell donor from Potlotek First Nation

How an Indigenous stem cell donor saved a life on Canada’s opposite coast

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Veronica, who is Mi’kmaw from Cape Breton, was a stem cell match for Judee, a woman of Métis heritage on Vancouver Island
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Stem cell recipient embracing stem cell donor in tight hug

‘I had butterflies in my stomach and my heart was pounding’

Information Inspiration
Jahnis Gillan will never forget her first meeting with the stem cell donor who saved her life
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Blood and stem cell recipient Adam Coletta holding his daughter

A stem cell transplant from his mom helped him live to meet his own child

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Then, less than a year into new fatherhood, Adam Coletta needed a second transplant — this time from an unrelated donor
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Young man in rocky, hilly area next to a lake

Donating stem cells changed this student’s life

Information Inspiration
‘Making a difference is something that a lot of people talk about wanting to do, but that was the first time I felt like I really did’
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Gail Stewart outside with her four kids wearing hockey gear

Stem cell recipient and her family inspire thousands to #BeAHero

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With support from Hockey Gives Blood and others, the Stewart family has rallied sports teams to help patients
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Tom and his son side hug

Thanks to a stem cell donor, a father-son bond endures and evolves

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Tom Wong savours the smallest moments and biggest milestones with his son Forrest after surviving a rare blood cancer
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Stem cell donor and recipient sitting on a rock

Stem cell donor and recipient celebrate their remarkable 20-year bond

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In 2002, Dave Charlebois’s stem cells saved the life of Sarah Byrne. She was just one year old at the time.
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Stem cell recipient’s family sitting on the grass

Canadian stem cell donor saves American infant’s life

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Just a few months after birth, Austin Mares received lifesaving stem cells to treat a rare disease
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Woman and her father with rocky cliff in background

After donating stem cells to her father, she’s bringing hope to others

Information Inspiration
Lauren Sano’s powerful personal story inspires people of diverse backgrounds to join the stem cell registry
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Blood and stem cell recipient, Miranda Webber with her daughter and husband

Anonymous stem cell and blood donors saved her life, now she’s giving back

Information Inspiration
Miranda Webber launched a record-setting fundraiser for Canada’s Lifeline after her stem cell transplant
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Side-by-side photos of two women

Stem cell donations helped both these women survive and thrive

Information Inspiration
Yet Moneet, left, faced more uncertainty in the search for a match, as potential donors of South Asian ancestry are underrepresented
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Stem cell recipient Greg Duerksen and his family give each other a side hug in front of his hospital.

This B.C. dad is ‘forever grateful’ for gifts of blood and stem cells

Inspiration
Greg Duerksen had often worried he would die young. Now, thanks to donors, he’s survived leukemia.
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Stem cell recipient kisses her sister Nyerhovwo on the cheek

A life beyond sickle cell disease, thanks to a stem cell donor

Information Inspiration
Ufuoma Muwhen was cured of the condition she’d had since birth by a stem cell transplant from her sister
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Stem cell donor stands in front of Canadian Blood Services’ signboard in Ottawa.

‘It’s an incredible privilege to help save a life’

Information Inspiration
For Joel Menard, the chance to donate stem cells ‘felt like winning an unexpected award’
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Stem cell donor Rachel Van Pelt stands in front of a green tree by a lake.

Stem cell donation brings joy to a donor as well as hope to a patient

Inspiration
Rachel Van Pelt was thrilled to help a patient ― and to hear from them later, in her own time of grief
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Mike Wark, who had a stem cell transplant, holds a bag of donated stem cells while surrounded by his wife and hospital staff.

International stem cell donation inspires long-distance friendship

Inspiration
Mike Wark of Red Deer, Alta. connected with the German stem cell donor who helped save his life
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Margaret Lynch, who had a bone marrow transplant about 33 years ago, sits on a rock in front of The Alps in Switzerland.

Toronto woman still thankful 33 years after stem cell transplant

Inspiration
Cancer survivor Margaret Lynch now helps others through financial donations to Canadian Blood Services
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Lizzy Burns and her fiancé Ryan Doucet stand together in a field of yellow grasses. Lizzy Burns successfully donated stem cells in December 2020.

New Brunswick woman successfully donated stem cells years after registering

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Lizzy Burns was both surprised and thrilled by the chance to potentially save a life
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Scott Monds puts an arm around his stem cell donor Danielle Bean during a visit that followed the first of his two stem cell transplants.

Two stem cell transplants from one donor saved his life twice

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Scott Monds is so thankful for Danielle Bean's gifts before and during COVID-19
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Thumbnail Image of Mackenzie Curran and Robbie Faraday Collage

Stem cell recipient and the donor she inspired share their story

Inspiration
Hear Mackenzie and Robbie’s interview on CBC Radio with Dr. Heidi Elmoazzen, director of stem cells at Canadian Blood Services
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Image of Diane Charlebois and her mother outside on a bridge.

Cancer survivor feels ‘blessed’ by stem cell donor’s act of kindness

Inspiration
Calgary’s Diane Charlebois owes her life to a stranger half a world away
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Melissa Deleary was called to donate years after joining the stem cell registry

An Indigenous stem cell donor’s journey

Inspiration
Melissa Deleary got the call to donate many years after she joined Canada’s stem cell registry
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Stem cell stories of giving and gratitude

Stem cell stories of giving and gratitude

Inspiration
Donors and recipients share their stories in a new video
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Get informed about stem cell donation

Learn more about the donation process, understand important eligibility information, and find answers to stem cell FAQs.

Learn about stem cell donation

Danny Stem cells with pink shirt