Dufferin County Ambulance Service took top place in the 2010 National EMS Stem Cell challenge drive to recruit healthy Canadians to register with Canadian Blood Services’ OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network for unrelated donors.

Emergency Medical Service and Dispatch Centres across the country were invited to participate in the 2010 National EMS Stem Cell Challenge, by holding an internal drive involving their staff, or by opening up their stations during National EMS Week to host swab clinics for their communities. Canadian Blood Services covered the costs of all test kits, shipping, and laboratory costs.

The chance of a family member, sibling or other relative being a match to provide bone marrow stem cell transplants is only 25 per cent.

“The more people in the registry the better chance of finding a donor,” said Tom Reid, director of Dufferin County Ambulance Service.

When an individual joins the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow worldwide network, a sample of the registrant’s DNA is extracted.

This material is used to identify a number of the registrant’s Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) which are then stored in the database for patient searches.

“With over 4,000 new registrants to the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow network I think we all won,” said Rob Ichelson, Director of Shari’s Mission.

In July 2009, Toronto Paramedic Rob Ichelson’s sister Shari was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

After learning Shari would need a bone marrow stem cell transplant, the family was put in touch with OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network which matches unrelated donors to patients.

Recognizing the need for donors, the Ichelson family launched Shari’s Mission to help increase the number of people on the registry and to promote awareness of what bone marrow and stem cell transplants do.

For more information on Shari’s Mission visit www.sharismission.com . To join the OneMatch registry visit www.blood.ca or call1 888 2 DONATE (1- 888-236-6283).