It’s come to my attention recently that there is a family in the SavvyMom HQ neighbourhood who needs help. The beautiful part of the story thus far is watching the groundswell of support from family, friends and a very supportive extended community. The sad part is that so far, it’s not enough.
Cathy Anagnostopoulos, a young mother of three children, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in late February. After months of undergoing intense chemotherapy, Cathy has learned that her only hope for survival now is a stem cell transplant. Tragically, doctors cannot find a donor for Cathy right now but there is still hope.
What Cathy needs is someone with the right stem cell match who is willing to donate some stem cells to save her life. Her friends and family are reaching out to the community, asking them to get tested at various ‘swabbing events’ being held throughout the city. Swabbing events require the individual to provide some basic personal information and a few swabs from the inside of their cheek. That’s all they need to find a match.
According to One Match Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Network, over 800 Canadians and tens of thousands worldwide are in need of a bone marrow/stem cell transplant to overcome diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, ovarian & testicular cancer, anaemia and dozens of other serious diseases. It’s estimated that 25% of these patients are children. Without a transplant these people will die.
By attending a swabbing event, you are putting your name on a database managed by Canadian Blood Services that can be accessed by doctors of other patients just like Cathy, looking for a perfect match. It’s not every day you get the chance to save someone’s life. This is a simple way to put your hand up and act.
It’s not fair to Cathy and her family. Our hearts go out to them as we hope for their perfect match.
For more information on Cathy’s story go to www.helpsavecathy.com.
To find a swabbing event in your community click here, or order the kit online at onematch.ca.
UPDATE: Sarah and I just returned from the first swabbing event at Northlea School. Lots of beautiful shots of Cathy on display and all her friends and family were volunteering time to help. Very heartwarming to see and the line ups weren’t too long. All we did was fill out a short form then take a few swabs from our cheeks. A very easy way to help.
Comments
Hi Minnow,
Thanks for posting this. I was reading your blog and decided to click on the help save Cathy’s Life. I was shocked to find out that I know Cathy, she was in my pharmacy class at U of T. I feel awful about what she is going through and will try to get in touch with as many as my classmates as possible to try and help her and her family. The least we could do is get tested.
Sincerely,
Cathy McRae
The Toronto Star wrote an article on Cathy yesterday, and I visited onematch.ca to sign up online to be a donor. I don’t think I can help Cathy (different genetic background), but hopefully I’ll be a match to someone else one day.
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