Your digest

After losing her first son, B.C. mother relied on donated umbilical cord blood to save her second

Less than a year after losing her firstborn son to a rare disorder, Celia Lau of Burnaby, B.C. found herself fighting to save the life of her second child. Celia’s son, Cameron, was diagnosed at the age of five months with an illness that left him unable to fight off most types of infections. He died just one year later, leaving a permanent hole in his parents’ hearts. When Celia discovered, at just 14 weeks pregnant, that her second son, Justin, would be born with the same disorder, she was once again devastated. However, this time around, Celia’s doctors were equipped with the knowledge that she carried the gene for this rare inherited condition, and they could develop a treatment plan early. That plan involved a stem cell transplant – and remarkably, a suitable cord blood unit was identified before Justin was even born. Now, thirteen years after his successful transplant, Justin is healthy and forever grateful for the gift of stem cells he received. Read Celia and Justin’s story on blood.ca/stories.

A grateful recipient shares why plasma is important

Turning 50 is an important milestone for most people, but for Nadine Law, it was extra special. She suspects she would not have reached her most recent birthday had it not been for the generosity of plasma donors. Throughout the course of her life, Nadine was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases, before finally being diagnosed in her early forties with common variable immune deficiency (CVID). CVID is characterized by low levels of specific proteins (immunoglobulins) in plasma, which results in a decreased ability to fight illnesses. As a treatment for her illness, Nadine relies on medication made from plasma. “[Plasma] has been life-changing and lifesaving,” she says. To pay it forward to the generous donors who continue to ensure plasma is there for her whenever she needs it, Nadine chose to celebrate her 50th birthday by rallying friends, family and community members to donate plasma in her honour. Read Nadine’s inspiring story on blood.ca/stories.

TODAY: GoodLife Fitness wellness workshop on exercising in hot weather

To help support you and your family in safely staying active in the summer heat, we have partnered with GoodLife Fitness to offer a free webinar TODAY, Friday, July 23 at 3 p.m. (ET) that will provide tips and precautions for exercising in hot weather. To participate, click the Zoom meeting link and enter the corresponding meeting ID (960 1194 2937) and passcode (544392).

Question of the day: As a non-union employee, if I am unable to take all of my vacation during this fiscal year, can I carry over my unused vacation into the next fiscal year? 

Taking vacation time is important for your mental well-being, and for our fiscal stability as a not-for-profit organization, which is why all employees should take their vacation for this year prior to March 31, 2022. 

That said, there are provisions for employees to carry over up to two weeks of the current year’s vacation into the next fiscal year. However, new updates to the non-union vacation policy require employees to obtain their director’s approval if they wish to carry over more than one week into the next vacation year. If you think carryover may apply to you, please talk to your leader as early as possible. 

Employees are still able to book vacation time for the next fiscal year, however, that vacation will be debited from next year’s allotment, not their allotment for the current fiscal year. 

At the end of this fiscal year, any vacation in excess of two weeks that has been unused will be paid out. Regardless, employees should be using all their vacation within the current fiscal year. 

You can access the updated vacation carry-over policy and supporting set of frequently asked questions on Connect.

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About your digest

This digest highlights the latest policy and employee support measures, resources to help you manage our new reality and original content like articles and videos to remind us that what we do matters.  No access to email? No problem — all this information and more can be found on blood.ca/employees from any device, no login required.     

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