CANADIAN Blood Services is calling on B.C. students between the ages of 17 and 35 to step up and swab their cheeks to save a life.

Between February 6 and 15, students can register to become a stem cell donor and potentially be a match for one of the nearly 1,000 Canadian patients waiting for a lifesaving stem cell transplant.

Stem cell transplants can treat over 80 diseases and disorders. Post secondary students have the power to change a patient’s life, because people ages 17 to 35 make the best lifesaving stem cell donors. When a patient undergoes a stem cell transplant, it’s often their last hope for survival, and the use of stem cells from younger donors typically leads to better patient outcomes, says Canadian Blood Services.

Canada’s national stem registry should be as diverse as the country. Patients who need a stem cell transplant are more likely to find a matching donor among those who share their ethnic ancestry. Students who come from an ethnically diverse or mixed-race background could be the match a patient has been waiting for.

Campus’s participating in British Columbia:

University of British Columbia – Vancouver

Simon Fraser University – Burnaby

Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Surrey

Vancouver Island University – Nanaimo

University of Victoria – Victoria

University of Fraser Valley – Chilliwack/Langley

Thompson Rivers University – Kamloops

Trinity Western University – Langley

Selkirk College – Castlegar

If students are unable to attend, they can still register online. Find out more about the campaign at www.blood.ca/swabatschool.