Event raising awareness of blood, stem cell donation

By Rob Vogt

It’s in you to give.
For a long time that was the call to action to donate blood in Canada.
Now, an event is being held in Stavely to renew that call and raise awareness of the need for Canadian Blood Services and stem cell donation.
An old-fashioned Stavely dine and dance including a spaghetti supper will take over the Stavely Community Centre on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The event will feature music by the band the “Uptown Riders” as well as hourly attendance meat draws.
The event is in support of Justin Hall and his mission to raise awareness for Canadian Blood Services and stem cell donation, as well as the Stavely Benevolent Fund.
Hall has Aplastic Anaemia, a rare blood disorder where his own immune system was attacking him.
He needed weekly blood/platelet transfusions, a bone marrow transplant, and ultimately a stem cell transplant.
He wants to raise awareness of the need for blood in the country and the stem cell donation bank.
There will be a stem cell swabbing station at the spaghetti supper, where individuals ages 17 to 35 who are interested in being donors can add their DNA to the registry list.
A blood drive will be hosted the whole month of November with Canadian Blood Services in recognition of Justin’s Journey.
Anyone wishing to join “Justin’s Journey” can visit blood.ca/MyAccount or the GiveBlood app for Apple or Android, and create an account.
Then select partners from the menu, select “join an existing team” and start entering your team, “Justin’s Journey”, and it will appear in the drop-down list.
Select the team, and book your next appointment with your team via “team bookings”, which is visible under your team name.
Darby Sundquist is one of the event organizers.
She said 88 disorders can be treated with stem cell transplant, which involves taking blood from the donor and giving it to the recipient.
However, 50 percent of Canadians find a match on the registry, so the more potential donors who agree to add their names and DNA to the registry will increased those odds.
Doors open at 4 p.m., with supper at 6 p.m., and the band set to take the stage around 8 p.m.
Tickets are $20 and available at the door, and in advance at Home Hardware in Claresholm and the Stavely town office.
Everyone is invited to come out for a good night and a great cause.
“Hopefully this will encourage more people to go and donate blood,” said Sundquist.