It likely doesn’t come as a surprise that Canadian Blood Services always has an urgent necessity of replenishing its stock of blood and stem cells, but perhaps it is lesser known that donations from certain demographics are particularly vital.
Brett Lawrence is the community development manager with Canadian Blood Services.
“In general, . . . the need for blood is rising. The need for blood is higher than it's been in the last decade,” he says. “The issue we're running into is that our donor base has grown over the last years, but it's not growing as fast as we need it to to continue to meet the demands for the patients who need blood products.”
While Lawrence stresses that every donation to Canadian Blood Services makes a difference, there is a pressing need for ethnically diverse donors. He says that there are two important reasons why.
First, a diversity of blood donors ensures that there is a supply for rare blood types.
“Most people fall into one of eight categories when it comes to a blood type in Canada, you're either A, B, O or AB, and then you are either a positive or a negative blood type, . . . but there are rare blood types out there, and the thing that's special about these blood types is they are usually only found in certain ethnic, racial or indigenous groups,” says Lawrence. “For example, the Jk3 blood type is only found in Filipino and Pacific Islander people.”
Lawrence says that someone with the Jk3 blood type can only receive a transfusion from another person with the same type, which means it’s necessary to have it on hand.
“We see the same in the black community. Blood types such as U-negative . . . are very rare and only found in that community,” he says. “So, that's what we really emphasize. If someone has that rare blood type and they need a transfusion, they are only going to be able to get it from someone who also has that blood type and . . . someone who is in their community as well.”
Lawrence says that while ethnicity matters in cases of rare blood types, with more common blood types, differing ethnicity is not a barrier to blood compatibility.
“For example, I am O-positive and if there's someone with a different ethnic background from me that just has O-positive blood, I'm still able to give them my blood because we'd be compatible.”
The second place Canadian Blood Services needs diverse donations is its stem cell registry. In general, it is difficult for everyone to find a stem-cell donor match, but it is even more of a challenge for people from underrepresented groups.
“Folks who are usually undergoing late-stage cancer treatment may get into a position where they need a stem cell transplant. We're looking for about 10 genetic markers [with stem cells], so . . . we [need] someone with a similar genetic background,” he says. “What we see right now is that the national registry for stem cells is predominantly Caucasian, . . . [so] if you are someone who's not represented by the majority of people on the registry, . . . it is even more difficult to find a match.”
Stem cells are valuable because they can develop into other cells in the body, and they can also divide and replicate themselves. For this reason, they may be used to replace lost or damaged cells and tissues in people with various illnesses. Lawrence encourages everyone (but especially those with diverse ancestry) between the ages of 17 and 35 to consider adding their names to the stem cell registry — the collection process, which extracts the cells from bone marrow, is painless.
According to Canadian Blood Services, currently, people who are Black, Indigenous, Asian, Hispanic, or of mixed-race heritage only collectively make up only approximately one-third of the stem-cell donors on the registry.
When it comes to blood services, there is a similar trend. Only 1% of Canadian blood donors identify as Black. In 2023, Canadian Blood Services set out to uncover potential reasons for these numbers. Their study concluded that there were many barriers for the Black community to donate blood, including a general sentiment that blood from that community “was not wanted.” To see how Canadian Blood Services is acting to dispel this myth and others to facilitate a better connection with all the communities in Canada, click here.
As the demographic of southern Manitoba changes, it’s important as ever that the blood and stem cell bank reflect its community.
"At the end of the day, if we look at the state of the donor base, 1 in 2 people in Canada are eligible to donate blood, but only 1 in 76 do, so when it comes down to it, we need anyone and everyone that can donate blood to check their eligibility and come visit us. We're in a real need for new donors, especially . . . from newcomers,” says Lawrence. “[If there is] someone [who needs a donation] in a community that is underrepresented in our stem cell registry, we definitely need more people in that ethnic community to donate blood and their stem cells.”
Lawrence says that there are many different situations in which a person could need a blood transfusion, including those who have cancers like leukemia, or even car crash victims. He says that for a cancer treatment, a patient could use 8 units of blood a week, and for a serious vehicle crash, up to 50. Each unit is donated by one person, so it becomes clear why the need for donors is great.
“In a lot of cases [a blood transfusion] is lifesaving, or it [gives] extra time with a family member,” he says. “There's really no substitute for blood donation when it's needed. If we don't have blood on hand, we can't give something else.”
Lawrence stresses that it’s important for the community to remain ever mindful of blood donation.
“We don't really think of how important blood donation is because we just kind of take for granted that it's always on hand,” he says. “I do really like to remind folks that the reason we are receiving blood at hospitals is because everyday folks come out to a blood donor center near them. They spend about an hour of their time there and they help save a life that way.”
To become a donor and ensure that everyone has equal access to donations regardless of their ancestry, click here.
The next blood donor clinic in Steinbach is Monday, August 19, at the EMC on Main Street, from 2:00pm to 7:00pm. You need to make an appointment to donate.
