Bone marrow donor program launched

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Ashmont Secondary School made history last Nov. 25 as the official launch site of Canada's first independent, non-governmental bone marrow registry for Aboriginal peoples.

North of 60 actor, Dakota House, was one of the promoters at the launch and showed how easy it is to be tested as a potential bone marrow donor.

"I have three young daughters and I just thought of them maybe needing a bone marrow transplant some day," said the 24-year-old actor, who originates from Edmonton's inner city.

The Aboriginal Bone Marrow Registries Association started this September and it was Lance Relland's story that really created the need for the program.

Relland, 16, told the Ashmont students about his fight with a vicious form of leukemia. After finding no survivors of this form of leukemia in Alberta, Relland traveled to the United States for a bone marrow transplant. His life was saved.

"During the past two years I have seen those who didn't receive proper treatment," Relland told the students. "Sometimes getting treatment in Alberta is like playing Russian Roulette... and sometimes all six of the chambers are full because of the cutbacks to health care."

Only one per cent of bone marrow donors in Canada are of Aboriginal descent, and because a potential donor match has a lot to do with genetic makeup, the chances of an Aboriginal patient finding a match is very rare.

Now Aboriginal Bone Marrow Registries has made becoming a potential bone marrow donor very easy. No needles or blood samples are required.

As Dakota House shoved a large cotton swab into his mouth, he demonstrated how easy it is to be tested because of state-of-the-art technology.

Two cotton swabs are placed in the mouth - one at a time and one on each cheek. The swab is turned in the mouth 10 times and then placed in a protected casing where it can be tested in a laboratory.

Representatives were back in Ashmont Nov. 30 to collect samples from students who obtained their parents' permission.