Stories: Canadian Blood Services

Like many people, Veronica Vardy never really thought about the blood supply. It wasn’t until she was sitting by her daughter’s side, watching the blood from a stranger drip life back into her tiny body, that it hit her.

For Josiah Ng and Aaron Tsui, cycling is a way to keep their bodies healthy and a means to contribute to a greener world. Earlier this month however, their love of cycling took on a new spin as the two Vancouverites embarked on a journey from Vancouver to Seattle — an incredible 250 kilometre and an estimated 12 hour ride — all while raising funds for Canadian Blood Services.

The first annual #DonateForDustin golf tournament raised $17,000 for Canadian Blood Services.

Earlier this month, Jack Uger celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by nearly 100 of his closest family and friends. A longstanding ambassador for Canadian Blood Services, Jack has been involved with the organization since 1984, first as a blood donor with the Red Cross, and most recently as a clinic volunteer.

It's official: Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank, a national, public health-care resource has been launched. Expectant mothers who give birth at one of our partnering hospitals are helping to build an ethnically diverse stem cell bank in Canada by donating their baby’s cord blood.

It all started with a sharp pain in Vinesha Ramasamy’s left knee. An x-ray revealed a mass. As her oncologist put it, it was “the worst case of high-grade osteosarcoma” he’d ever seen. At 15 years old she was diagnosed with bone cancer.

It all started while walking to the bus stop one morning four years ago. The air was brisk, and the sun was bright in the sky. After just a few steps, Tom was out of breath and feeling dizzy. He thought it was probably nothing but decided to get checked just to be safe.

Every year, hundreds of Canadian patients need life-saving stem cell transplants, and most rely on the generosity of an unrelated donor.

Blood cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world with hundreds of Canadians requiring a donor for a stem cell transplant each year. Only a fourth of patients in need of blood stem cell donation will find a donor within their family – the rest will rely on a complete stranger to save their lives.

Abby is seven years old and for the next 18 months, she'll receive treatment for precursor B lymphoblastic lymphoma, a type of cancer. Read her story from her dad Drew's perspective and see how financial donors and blood transfusions are part of her story.