Give 3 in 2023: Christopher and fraternity, stem cell registry advocates

Did you know that at any given time, there may be more than 1,000 people in Canada awaiting a stem cell transplant? And that their best hope of a matching donor is likely to be a person of the same or similar ethnic background? We need our registry of potential stem cell donors to be as diverse as Canada. And members of Lambda Mu Mu — a Canadian chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity — are helping. 

Christopher Infantry, Lambda Mu Mu president, says the group found it “a shocking reality” that there’s a big need for more Black registrants.    

“If we can share the information across our community, just to at least give someone the opportunity to further their life, then that’s a huge difference that we can make,” he says. 

We first shared the story of Lambda Mu Mu’s efforts in early 2022, and we’re now pleased to highlight this group in a portrait series by celebrity photographer George Pimentel. It inaugurates Give 3 in 2023, our call to people across Canada to make three different kinds of contributions to Canadian Blood Services to support patients.  

There are so many ways to make all the difference. If you join the stem cell registry today, you could get a call to save a life months or years from now. You could donate blood or plasma for the first time. Or if you’re already a donor, you could invite a new donor to come with you to your next appointment.   

You could even start by following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok. Share stories like this one with friends and family, or tag @canadaslifeline in posts about your own #3in2023 journey. Together, we are Canada’s Lifeline.