By Jared Gottselig

Event to find stem cell donor met with overwhelming support

Jun 25, 2017 | 5:53 PM

A cheek swabbing event in Mervin, Sask. to help find a stem cell donation match for six-year-old Paige Schmidt was met with overwhelming support Sunday.

Schmidt suffers from a rare condition called Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), in which her bone marrow fails to produce platelets, and red and white blood cells. As a result, Schmidt has to get weekly platelet transfusions and a blood transfusion every other week.

Finding a match with a stem cell donor would allow Schmidt to produce these cells on her own following a successful transplant.

Word quickly got out about Schmidt’s medical needs, which brought dozens of people from all over the province to register as a potential donor. In fact, some potential donors came from as far as Red Deer, Alta. to register.

Within the first three hours of the event, over 50 people had registered for potential stem cell donation. The event was on pace to have over 100 registrants by the end of the day.

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Stephanie Arps from Turtleford, Sask., came across the event on Facebook.

“I’ve never met [Schmidt] before…I don’t think I even know her family,” Arps said. “I came because my dad is a pancreas transplant patient, so I know the importance of donating.”

Dozens of people who couldn’t make it to Mervin also registered to be a donor online.

“It just blows my mind to know how many people have come, and for a little girl they don’t even know,” Theresa Windsor, Schmidt’s grandmother said. “Friends…people I don’t even know, even RCMP officers showed up this morning [to register].

“It just gives me that warm feeling to think that people care. Caring is wonderful.”

Windsor mentioned that registrants can potentially donate to others who are also suffering from various medical conditions.

“If they [don’t match] Paige, it’s going to help someone else,” Windsor said. “I don’t want families to go through what we’ve gone through.”

It will take some time before Canadian Blood Services will be able to enter the swabs into their database and look for a match with Schmidt, but the family hopes they can find one soon.

jared.gottselig@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jgottsel