Hopes run high to find a donor for Josh Weekes

Last week, 244 people from across Richmond and Vancouver came to St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Richmond to help Josh Weekes, 6, and others find the stem call match they need to beat leukemia.

“The turn-out was fantastic. Many people who came were friends and family staff members who work with Josh’s parents, Lia, at Richmond Hospital and Dagan, at Coast Mountain,” said Brenda Goossen, a Richmond Hospital Social Worker. “It is our hope that by increasing the One Match donor registry numbers, we can help Josh and others find a match so they can receive a life-saving transplant.”

While the One Match registry donor drive in Richmond is over, the community of Richmond Hospital employees who are helping the Weekes family with their search for a suitable donor soldiers forward.

The group is continuing to actively organizing additional One Match drives across Vancouver where a suitable donor (between the ages of 17 and 35) with mixed ethnic backgrounds (Filipino, British, Icelandic and Caribbean) may be found.

Joshua’s story

In February 2016, Joshua Weekes, his mom, Lia, and dad, Dagan, returned home from a vacation and was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia – Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  Joshua now needs a bone marrow transplant, and his family is urging everyone to join the national stem cell and bone marrow registry in hopes of finding a donor for their son and others in the country who require this life-saving treatment.

It’s not too late to register

Joshua’s story is not uncommon.

About 25 per cent of patients are able to find a genetic match within their family, but the vast majority rely on strangers. “Because we have such a diverse population, we really need more people of different ethnicities or mixed backgrounds to register with One Match as a potential donor,” says Trudi Goels of Canadian Blood Services.

To register as a stem cell and bone marrow donor, go to Canadian Blood Services.