Why this Toronto man is trying to boost diversity on Canada’s stem cell registry – CBC

Asian, African and Indigenous people make up only a small percentage of potential donors

Jun 19, 2019

In 2014, Tom Wong learned he had Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare form of blood cancer.

The disease prevented his stem cells from maturing — meaning they couldn’t carry oxygen, fight infections or help his body heal from bruises.

He found himself on the Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry waiting for a match.

“They kept telling me that my best chance of a match was going to come from a male within my own ethnicity,” he said.