News & updates
Make all the difference this holiday season
The need for donors increases in the holiday season. You can bring hope to patients and their loved ones across Canada so they can make more holiday memories together.
Start a new tradition and make an even bigger impact by inviting your family, friends and colleagues to join you when you book your donation between Dec 20- Jan 4.
Thank you being a part of Canada’s Lifeline this winter.
Could you save Ethan’s life?
Ethan is a big-hearted teenager who loves making his two younger siblings laugh. He enjoys taking on a challenge through gaming and building extravagant Lego sets. And while Ethan prefers putting other people before himself, he now needs others to fight for him.
He was first diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma T-cell leukemia just before his 15th birthday in August 2022. His illness is a rare form of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Despite going into remission in December 2023, his cancer has returned and he has only months to live.
Ethan needs a stem cell transplant to save his life. Unfortunately, no one in his family is a stem cell match. In fact, only 25% of people find a matching donor within their own family. The remaining 75% must rely on the generosity of a volunteer donor from a stem cell registry.
If you’re 17 to 35 years old, you could be Ethan’s lifesaving match. Register in less than 2 minutes.
We’ve updated donor eligibility criteria
Dec. 4 change to eligibility criteria related to the ‘mad cow’ disease outbreak.
If you’ve lived or spent time in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or France between 1980s and 1990s, you may now be eligible to donate in Canada.
Announcing a plan to secure Canada’s plasma supply
Did you know that some lifesaving medications are made from donated plasma? Of these medications, the most widely used are called immunoglobulins. Currently, there is a global shortage of immunoglobulins. Canadian Blood Services is taking action to further secure our country’s supply of these medications, in the shortest time possible. Working with experts, patients, and other stakeholders, we have established a plan to increase plasma collection and enable Canada’s first end-to-end supply chain for immunoglobulins. This means we are working to ensure patients in Canada continue to have access to the lifesaving medications they depend on.
1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283)
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