CREDIT: Emily Bellavy, The Windsor Star Jeff Harron and over 70 other campers participated in this weekend's Camp for Compassion in Leamington in support of spreading awareness about bone marrow donation.

Tom Garrett is convinced that without Ron Giles he would not be alive today. Four years ago Giles donated bone marrow to Garrett, a leukemia survivor.

"It's amazing really how he saved my life," said Garrett, 19.

Giles decided to donate marrow out of the desire to save a life, he said, after he saw an advertisement for marrow donation at Canadian Blood Services.

Since then, Giles has made it his mission to encourage others to sign up for the bone marrow registry. Giles hosted a free camping weekend at his brother Frank Giles 30 acre farm in Leamington, in support of raising awareness about the bone marrow registry.

A few hundred people - 75 of whom were campers - enjoyed live music, karaoke, a mad science show, comedy acts by St. Clair College theatre arts students and guest appearances by Jeff Burrows and Meghan Agosta. About 20 campers visited computer terminals where they signed up online for the registry.

"I'm really inspired by people's outreach this weekend. Even if we save one person's life it will be worth this," said Ron, who works as an office clerk at Chrysler.   

The weekend was bittersweet for Ron as he celebrated those who received bone marrow transplants and mourned those who have died because they couldn't find a match in time. Last Friday marked the four-year anniversary of Tom's transplant surgery and his birthday. While it was also the day that medical student Uzoma Azuh lost his battle with leukemia when he couldn't find a donor.

For Chris LoDuca, who almost died from chronic myelogenous leukemia until he received a bone marrow transplant two years ago, it is unacceptable to hear that another person has perished waiting for a donor.

"I'm sick and tired of hearing about kids and adults who didn't make it. So it makes me feel great that people are out here spreading the message to others to donate," said LoDuca. Meanwhile Luis and Ileana Mercado of Kitchener attended the camping weekend in search of finding a bone marrow donor for their son Dany, 24, who has been battling leukemia since 2002. It is a quest that has been especially difficult given that the donor must be of Hispanic descent in order to be a match for Dany, an immigrant from Nicaragua. The Mercado's claim that minorities represent two per cent of the Canadian Blood Services bone marrow registry.

"We are dying, I can't explain how difficult this is," said Ileana Mercado.

The Mercado's are fundraising to establish a bone marrow testing centre in Central America, that is estimated to cost $1 million. They have collected over 150 signatures from medical students at the University of Nicaragua who want to donate bone marrow.  

"They want to donate but there's no place they can do it. So if we install the technology, my son will be helped and everyone else suffering" said Ileana.

Bone marrow matches are found in the compatibility of genetic markers - Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA). An antigen match is typically found in a donor with the identical ethnicity as the patient.

The Mercado family's plight echoes the message of the camping weekend.

"Our dream is that no woman, man or child goes without a bone marrow donor," said Frank Giles.

 

Bone marrow registry

Over 215,000 Canadians are registered to donate bone marrow. Over 800 Canadians have donated to date. Sign up for the bone marrow registry by logging on to www.bloodservices.ca. Source Canadian Blood Services.)