Desperately Seeking Normalcy – Stem Cell Donors – New Canadian Media – NCM

These kinds of campaigns that personalize the issue are likely more effective than impersonal campaigns. And engaging the key communities is key to address the shortage.

As my experience attests, a stem cell transplant is no picnic with considerable risk, but does offer more time to those patients who can benefit from it:

“I think people are just so afraid of the process,” adds Nishaat. “They really feel like you’re taking something from them that cannot be replaced. When you look at minorities, even religiously speaking, the whole notion of organ donation is a major issue. So when it comes to bone marrow or stem cells, I think some of that falls into the same category. In terms of the mentality.”

The cultural stigma is so strong that some discourage their family from accepting donated organs even if a match is found. In one case, a Stanford professor had found a match for a South Asian couple’s 20-something son, but the young man’s parents convinced him at the last minute to refuse the donation.

South Asians 4 Life is one group partnering up with CBS in trying to combat the deep-rooted stigma through awareness campaigns. According to their website, 5,000 South Asians have registered with the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. As of 2011, there were nearly 1.6 million South Asians living in Canada, the largest visible minority group in the country StatsCan. At the time of this article, 28 Canadian patients of South Asian descent were also reportedly waiting for a match.

“People actually have the opportunity to change the numbers,” says Munsif. “To make a positive impact. If they knew about it and if they thought or understood it could happen to their loved ones, they would have no hesitation to do it.”

Munsif says various community centres in the GTA have been “very supportive and extremely accommodating,” of their cause, by holding bone marrow donor drives more than two years ago in Nishaat’s name. From there he realized there were many misconceptions about signing up to be a donor.

Desperately Seeking Normalcy – New Canadian Media – NCM.