How Canadian Blood Services and NotJustYou work together for people with sickle cell

People living with sickle cell disease rely on donors more than most. Some need regular blood transfusions, and the closest match often comes from a donor of similar ancestry. A stem cell transplant, which can cure sickle cell, depends on finding a matched donor too. That is why Canadian Blood Services has been one of NotJustYou’s closest partners since our first Cellular event in 2023.

Who Canadian Blood Services is

Canadian Blood Services is an independent registered charity that runs the blood and plasma supply for every province and territory except Quebec, where Héma-Québec plays that role. It also operates Canada’s national stem cell registry and public cord blood bank, and coordinates organ and tissue donation and transplantation across the country.

Why diverse donors matter for sickle cell

Canadian Blood Services calls sickle cell disease the most common inherited condition in Canada, with more than 6,000 people living with it, and says the number is growing. A few of its numbers explain why our community’s donations matter:

• Each year, 15,000 units of blood are transfused to people in Canada living with sickle cell disease.
• Fewer than 25 per cent of current donors share a similar ancestry with most people who live with the disease.
• For a stem cell transplant, a patient’s best chance of a match is among donors who share their ethnic background.

Canadian Blood Services names the lack of ethnic diversity in its donor base as one of its biggest challenges in caring for patients with sickle cell, and partnerships with community organizations are part of its answer. NotJustYou is one of those partners. Read more about why Black blood donors matter.

What we’ve done together

• Partners for Life. NotJustYou is a Canadian Blood Services Partners for Life team, so members and friends can book donations under our name and give toward a shared goal.
• Stem cell registry drives at Cellular. Our travelling stem cell drive and networking night has added new registry members in every city: 25 people in Edmonton in 2023, 28 in Calgary in 2025, with the Canadian Blood Services Next Gen team swabbing on site, and 14 in Vancouver in 2026.
• Group donations. Our community gives together in Edmonton, including during Sickle Cell Awareness Month and at NotJustYou’s first Black History Month group donation on February 21, 2026.
• Events. Canadian Blood Services sponsored The Kickback 2025 and presented The Afro-Jazz Experience with us in January 2026, our seventh-anniversary celebration.

Our founder’s story is part of this partnership too. In 2021, Canadian Blood Services shared how Ufuoma Muwhen, who started NotJustYou, was cured of sickle cell disease by a stem cell transplant from her sister.

How you can help

• Give blood. Take the eligibility quiz and book at blood.ca or in the GiveBlood app, or call 1-888-236-6283. People can start giving blood and plasma at 17.
• Give with NotJustYou. In the GiveBlood app, choose Partners, then Join a team, and search for NotJustYou so your donation counts toward our team.
• Join the stem cell registry. If you’re 17 to 35, register online and a cheek swab kit arrives by mail within one to three weeks. Our registry guide walks you through it.
• Come to a group donation or a Cellular drive. Watch the events calendar for the next one.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your own hematology team about your care. In an emergency, call 911.