On November 2nd, 2014 momstown Edmonton will be hosting a #GiveLifeTwice event at West Edmonton Mall in honour of Tammy McLash, a brave mama who’s battling Leukemia.
Give Life Twice .
Cord Blood Awareness at West Edmonton Mall
When – November 2nd, 2014 10am-2pm
Where – HMV Stage (Level 1 Phase IV)West Edmonton Mall
With fun activities for kids, prenatal yoga and a silent auction to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society ofCanada, all families are welcome! Even if your baby making days are over come and enjoy fun day in honour of Tammy McLash who is fighting Leukemia and looking for a stem cell donor.
Featuring:
- Kids Activities & Crafts
- Prenatal Yoga Demo with Nirvana Hot Yoga
- Prizes from Simply Supper, Nest in the City
- & West Edmonton Mall
- DIY Nest Jewellery Workshop
- Silent Auction
All proceed donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada!
- VIP Oil Change Package from North Edmonton Kia
- Oilers Ticket – Edmonton Vs. New Jersey
- Gift Certificate from Toy R Us, West Coast Kids & Golf Town
- Ultrasound Package from Precious Cargo 3/4D Ultrasound
- Photo Session from Misty Pictures
And more!
Tammy's story…
Mother of twin two year olds and one of our own momstown mamas has been devasted by the unthinkable. After a routine blood test Tammy McLash was called in because her platelets were dangerous low. She rushed into the hospital, but had no idea she was about to be diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
After two rounds of chemotherapy they hope to put her into remission, but each round makes her 
body weaker and more suspectible to life threatening infections. Her physicians are in desperate search for a stem cell match for Tammy. Her sister and brother were not matches and the global one match database turned up empty as well. Did you know you could register as a donor by just giving a cheek swab? Could you imagine if your body was holding the cure to cancer for a child, father or mother just like Tammy?
Momstown Edmonton is a huge supporter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada, in less than two years we've raised over $75,000 through Team in Training and that number is growing everyday. The father of our CEO is battling Lymphoma as well, so this cause is especially close to our hearts.
Tammy and others around the world need you. They need you to register as a donor or donate your babies umbilical cord blood. There are always about 1,000 Canadians waiting for a stem cell transplant to treat about 50 diseases. Tammy is just one of them. Cord blood contains the purest form of stem cells and offers the best outcomes to patients. Considering Edmonton is one of only 4 cities accepting public cord blood donations this is an extremely important topic to raise awareness about.
The biggest hurdle is that male donors, especially between the ages of 17-23, provide the best outcomes for patients. As you can imagine that demographic is tough to reach. Our goal is to spread the word and get this information to young people that could help cure those suffering with blood cancer.
Facts about Stem Cell Donations:
- You must be between the ages of 17-35 to register. This is disheartening for people that are older but want to help. The maximum age for potential registrants is set at 35 because research indicates that younger donors are associated with better long-term survival rates for patients. What you CAN do is encourage your younger friends, cousins, sons, & brothers to come out and register.
- There are some height and weight parameters that you must fall within to register as a donor. You can check those out here.
- It's as easy as a cheek swab. To be on the registry all you need to do is complete a cheek swab in your home or attend a drive to get registered. You'll receive a call if there is a match found. Here's more information on starting the registration process.
- Bone marrow donation is not as hard as it used to be. The collection of stem cells is taken from the iliac crest and this type of procedure is done under general anaesthetic so the donor experiences no pain. For peripheral blood stem cell donation, the collection is a non-surgical procedure done in an outpatient clinic and does not involve anaesthetic. The donor does not experience pain during either procedure. Most donors as back to their normal life within a fews days of donating.
- Donations won't just help cancer patients. Blood cancers such as Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma are just the beginning. Stem Cells can also treat the following diseases: bone marrow deficiency diseases caused by abnormal red blood cell production, such as thalassemia or sickle cell disease, Aplastic Anemia which is the lack of normal blood cell production, Immune system disorders (immunodeficiencies), and Metabolic Disorders
