Martin “Marty” Lintag needs your help.
The New Westminster resident was diagnosed last year after his 30th birthday with two rare forms of blood cancer. He is battling Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and Acute Myeloid Leukemia and needs a stem cell transplant to save his life.
Lintag is of Filipino descent and there are no potential matches within his family, according to Canadian Blood Services.
“Less than one per cent of the adult stem cell registry is comprised of people of Filipino ancestry, and Martin’s best chance of finding a compatible match will be with a donor with a similar background,” said a news release.
The family of Roshlind Mance, a 16-year-old Filipino girl from Calgary who recently also needed a match, have organized a stem cell swab event on Lintag’s behalf. The event runs from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2 and Sunday, Feb. 3 at the Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Drive) in Vancouver.
Registrants must be between 17-35 years old, and potential donors can sign up at the event or online - see the “Stem Cell” drop down menu at the top of https://www.blood.ca/en/stem-cells/donating-stem-cells/donation-process
