Hey Chief Delphi,
I am reaching out to you all on behalf of FRC team 4476, W.A.F.F.L.E.S. Community Robotics, because I’m hoping that we can band together as a FIRST community to help those in need.
In 2014, a friend of our team, Mackenzie, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. We wanted to do whatever we could to help her. And so, WAFFLES partnered with a group called OneMatch, which is a subsidiary of the Canadian Blood Services. OneMatch is an organization that matches people in need of bone marrow transplants with suitable donors. This year, our robot’s name is Tanner, after a five-year-old boy from Manitoba who has needed a bone marrow transplant since he was six months old , after being diagnosed with sideroblastic anemia. You can read more about him here:
Our other robots were Charlie (2019), Melia (2018), Jasnoor (2017), Aaryan (2016), and Kevin (2015).
It is easy to sign up to be a bone marrow donor, and it could quite literally save someone’s life. It is often the act of a kind stranger to do so, since a patient only has between a 25% to 30% chance to find a compatible donor in their family. The odds of finding a match are low, about 1 in 40 000. This is even less likely for someone of non-caucasian descent (for example, 66% of the Canadian registry is white) – which has been the case for Jasnoor, Aaryan, and now Tanner.
But what if you could be that one?
Males 17-35 are the ideal candidates, which is why I’m posting here since I know that much of the FRC demographic falls in this. And if you’re not, you’re still able to join! You just may be less likely to get called upon – but who knows. While you’re in the midst of this hectic build season, frantically struggling to build a robot or dealing with critical design issues – take a second, reflect on what you have, and let that empower you to continue to make a difference in the lives of others. Donate blood, join a registry, anything.
If you’re interested in learning more or signing up to be a donor (they can even mail you a swab kit you can complete at home!), here’s some resources below or shoot me a PM:
OneMatch (Canadian specific): https://www.blood.ca/en/stem-cells?utm_source=onematch&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=onematch
Be the Match: https://bethematch.org/
We Delete Blood Cancer: https://www.dkms.org/en/register
Melia’s Memory Foundation: https://www.facebook.com/meliasmemoryfoundation/
With love,
Taegen & Team 4476