A stem cell drive is being organised in north London on Thursday in honour of a local who has been diagnosed with two different cancers.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was most recently discovered in Londoner Ted Simkovich, who had previously been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia.
Canadian Blood Services defines stem cells as “immature cells” that can develop into any cell in the bloodstream, and the Canadian Cancer Society claims that both diseases are derived from these cells.
The body cannot develop the blood cells necessary for the immune system to operate effectively without stem cells.
Simkovich will require a transplant after undergoing treatment.
Simkovich’s niece Moriah Gerofsky is a driving force behind the campaign, which is sponsored by Canadian Blood Services.
“I am involved in a club at my university where we run blood drives and some cell drives.
Therefore, this was a fantastic opportunity to organise a drive back in London when my uncle required a stem cell transplant, the woman added.
From 3 p.m. until 8 p.m., the drive will be taking place at the Chabad House at 1114 Richmond St. According to Gerofsky, this is a quick drive that won’t take more than ten minutes.
“We will be swabbing those between 17 and 35, as those in this age group have been shown to produce the most optimal patient outcomes,” she said.
She explained that once a potential donor is swabbed, they are added to the Canadian and international registries where results can be accessed by transplant teams in search of matches all over the world. Even if someone is a match and asks whether they would like to donate, Gerofsky asserted that they are “by now means required” to do so.
According to her, the procedure is quite straightforward and accounts for around 90% of contributions. “The real donating process is no different from donating blood since they actually pull out the stem cells from your blood, and then they put the blood back in your body,” she said.
According to Gerofsky, the second way of retrieval, which is used in fewer instances, can be done by accessing bone marrow, specifically in the pelvic bone’s back. This is carried out under general anaesthesia, and the aftereffects include only slight soreness.
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Although it’s uncommon to be a match and even more so to be requested to donate bone marrow, she acknowledged that some people become anxious when they learn about the donation process.
“I think there are a lot of misconceptions and questions about stem cell donation, and I think a lot of people don’t really know about it,” said Gerofsky. “We’re merely going to swab the inside of your cheek on Thursday; it’s not as terrible as it sounds.
It is imperative to have as many people registered as possible because the likelihood of matching with someone in need is only about one in 750,000, she emphasised.
Thursday afternoon sees the beginning of a London cancer patient’s stem cell campaign.
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