Let’s support Berk Nasi
URGENT: Support needed by the caring members of Turkish community for a Stem Cell Transplant
Dear Members of the Turkish Community,
Berk Nasi, who lives in Toronto with his family, urgently needs help from the Turkish community across Canada.
A student at Ryerson University, Berk was diagnosed with Leukemia last October. After his first round of treatment at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Berk entered remission. However, the doctors told him he would need a stem cell transplant for complete recovery. Unfortunately, no matching stem cell has yet been found for Berk. The probability of finding a stem cell match is much higher among the individuals from the same geographical background (i.e. genetic pool); therefore, Berk asks for the help of the members of the Turkish community in Canada/Toronto, especially those aged 17 and 35.
A Stem cell donation is a very simple procedure; it only requires a blood donation from a donor. Individuals who wish to donate stem cells, first need to take a very simple test to check the compatibility of their stem cell. This test only requires the taking of a cheek swab with a Q-tip, and then the swab is sent to the Canadian Blood Services by mail, to test its compatibility. The cheek swab test is free of charge.
As determined by the Canadian Blood Services, the best donor age is between the ages of 17 and 35. A stem cell donation is not directly given to one specific individual; once the stem cell is taken, it is put into a database called “Onematch.” In this registry, operated by the Canadian Blood Services, the database is continuously checked for matches. Once a match is found, both donor and recipients are contacted and the process moves forward.
Once again a stem cell donation is only possible after having performed a compatibility swab test. This test can be received by mail, to any address, once having registered to the “Onematch” registry on the Canadian Blood Services website.
If you would like to register to the “Onematch” system and request a test swab kit, please follow the directions on the Onematch website or make a free call (7 days for 24hours) to 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) and press 1,3,1 to reach the corresponding department.
Please click here to find out about the Canadian Blood Services /OneMatch event on January 15, 2015.
If you would like to donate stem cells in Quebec, please follow the directions of Hema Quebec website or make a free call (7 days for 24hours) 1 800 565 6635 ext. 279 and leave a message for their return call.
We URGENTLY invite all the young caring members of the Turkish community (between 17 and 35 years of age) in Canada to take the cheek swab compatibility test to help Berk find compatible stem cells.
Sincerely,
Turkish Society of Canada
www.turkishcanada.org
Contact:
berk.nasi@yahoo.com
info@turkishcanada.org