How to Join the Stem Cell Donor Registry

Anyone wishing to have their name added to the Stem Cell Donor Registry must sign the Consent to Join Registry Form. Please return this form to us by fax for validation of your registration at: 514-832-0266 You can always withdraw your name from the Registry for any reason whatsoever.

If you are between 18 and 50 years of age and in good health, and have no history of cancer (with the exception of basal cell carcinoma), you are a potential stem cell donor!

To receive an information kit, communicate with our personnel in charge of this program at the following phone number:
1-800-565-6635, ext. 279.

Once duly informed and after you have added your name to the Registry, we will take a blood sample to assess your genetic profile. Your test results remain confidential and are only used to help us find a donor compatible with a patient requiring a stem cell transplant. Only a small number of individuals will eventually be called upon to donate stem cells.

If a patient with the same HLA characteristics as you requires a donation, Héma-Québec will contact you in order to ensure that you are still prepared to make a donation, and we will explain the following steps to you. You will then have to undergo other blood tests to determine your compatibility with the intended patient. If the results are satisfactory, we will ask you to donate stem cells from your bone marrow or your peripheral stem cells, depending on the patient’s needs.

You have the right to refuse to make a stem cell donation at any time, BUT keep in mind that recipients begin intensive chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatments to prepare them for the transplant from seven to ten days before the donation.