Give life back to the community.
Many people with sickle cell rely on regular blood transfusions, and a stem cell transplant can be a cure. Donors from African, Caribbean and Black communities are especially needed.
- 17 to 35
- Age range to join the stem cell registry
- 28
- Registry sign-ups at Cellular Calgary, in one night
- 1
- Confirmed match from a Cellular sign-up
- 4
- Group blood donations with Canadian Blood Services
Blood, or stem cells
Give blood
Book with Canadian Blood Services. Eat a good meal, drink plenty of water, and donate under our Partners for Life team.
Join the stem cell registry
If you’re 17 to 35 and healthy, a cheek swab adds you to the registry. If you match a patient, you decide what happens next.
The closer the match, the safer the transfusion
People who receive blood often can build antibodies to blood that isn’t closely matched, which makes future transfusions harder. Some blood types and subtypes are more common in people of African ancestry, so donors from the same communities are often the best match.
Why Black blood donors matter
Give blood with the NotJustYou team
NotJustYou is a Partners for Life team at Canadian Blood Services. Join the team once, and every donation you make this year counts toward our community goal, including the ones you’ve already made.
- Sign in or create an account at blood.ca, or in the GiveBlood app.
- Open the Partners tab and choose Join an Existing Team.
- Start typing NotJustYou, select our team, choose Yes, then Join.
- Book your donation. For a group donation, open View team and book one of the times we’ve reserved.
- Team name
- NotJustYou
- Partner ID
- NOTJ0110038
Read more
DonationMar 5, 20262 min read
How to join Canada’s stem cell registry, and why Black donors matter
A cheek swab today could be someone’s cure. One Cellular sign-up has already become a match.
DonationFeb 12, 20264 min read
Why Black blood donors matter to people living with sickle cell
Many warriors rely on regular transfusions, and the closest matches often come from donors of similar ancestry. Yet just under 1 per cent of Canada’s whole blood donors identify as Black.
TreatmentSep 8, 20264 min read
Stem cell transplant for sickle cell: how the cure works and who it is for
A transplant replaces the bone marrow that makes sickled cells. It can cure sickle cell, carries serious risks and depends on finding a match, which is where donors come in.