Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was pleased to see a press release that indicated that stem cell challenge clinics have been organized in the Northwest Territories by the Yellowknife Fire Department and Medic North in support of the first annual National EMS Stem Cell Challenge. I’d like to take this opportunity to applaud both the Yellowknife Fire Department and Medic North for facilitating this important challenge.
The press release went further to indicate that the nationwide challenge is aimed at registering healthy, committed Canadians, aged 17 to 50, on the National Stem Cell Challenge and Marrow Network maintained by the Canadian Blood Services. The network serves a vital role across Canada in matching potential donors with compatible recipients who need stem cell or marrow transplants. Apparently, there are less than 30 percent of patients who need these transplants that actually find compatible matches within their own families. As such, there is an incredible need to add the database to ensure that all patients are able to find compatible donors.
In Yellowknife, the challenge is being held in two locations on two days: today from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Centre Square Mall and tomorrow, the 21st, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Yellowknife Co-op. I have been talking about this issue with my wife a lot over the last couple of months. We have decided to take this challenge and add to the network.
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As a Member of the 16th Assembly which has a vision and a goal of healthy, educated people, I would like to challenge all of the Members of this House between the ages of 17 and 50 to join me in the challenge tomorrow at 5:30 at Yellowknife Co-op to donate and add to the network. I think this is an important initiative. It is an important cause, so all of you between 17 and 50, I will see you at the Yellowknife Co-op tomorrow at 5:30. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleague Mr. Abernethy, Member for Great Slave, I, too, wish to speak to the issue of stem cell challenge clinics here in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, over the lunch hour, I actually went down with a group of friends to meet this challenge head on. Several of us wanted to ensure that we participated, because many of us believe that this is an important program that does save lives. Mr. Speaker, sadly, as we know very well, more people die waiting for a donor than receive them and we certainly wish that wasn’t the case.
Mr. Speaker, the process really takes about 10 minutes. It is a painless process. When I was down there with a bunch of my friends, you could see a lot of enthusiastic people knowing that their small contribution is going a long way to help other people. Mr. Speaker, an opportunity like this presents hope for many families who are out there hoping for a donor or a match. Mr. Speaker, it is equally comparable to the Live Donor Program which we need here in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, sadly, more people are waiting for a donor of some type but they don’t make it through that fight while they sit and wait.
Mr. Speaker, I can speak from personal experience of a recent sad case where someone that we call our Little Spike didn’t meet that challenge because a donor was not available. Mr. Speaker, as hard as we prayed, it just didn’t happen. Mr. Speaker, I would encourage everyone to dig deep down inside to see if they could make themselves available in this case to provide themselves for the Stem Cell Challenge or even consider filling out a donor card because their life could go on and save someone else’s.
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage everyone in this House, like Mr. Abernethy as well as anyone else out there who is listening, to take this opportunity to meet this challenge head on. It is an important value and I sincerely hope that many people do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
