A group of students in London are making sure the legacy of a Chatham woman who battled leukemia continues on.
Students with Western University's Stem Cell Club are running a virtual stem cell drive in honour of Jocelyn McGlynn.
McGlynn passed away in August 2020 at the age of 23 following a two-year fight with acute myelomonocytic leukemia.
After being diagnosed, the fourth-year Western University medical science student worked with her family and friends to organize several stem cell drives in hopes of finding a stem cell match for herself and other patients in similar situations.
In 2019, McGlynn worked with the Western Stem Cell Club to organize a drive, which recruited 767 new registrants and was recognized as the most successful stem cell drive in Canada that year.
“After being diagnosed with leukemia, [Jocelyn] dedicated her time helping other patients who were facing the uncertainty of waiting for a stem cell match," explained Anastasia Maslak, one of McGlynn's close friends."With help from her friends and family, she organized many stem cell drives to recruit donors and raise awareness of the cause.”
To keep help keep McGlynn's efforts going, the Western University students' national "I’m in for Jocelyn Virtual Drive” campaign will work to recruit Canadians as potential stem cell donors for patients in need of blood stem cell transplantation.
Volunteers with the Stem Cell Club will answer questions about stem cell donation and assist with online registration.
Canadians are eligible to sign up as potential stem cell donors if they are between the ages of 17 and 35 and in good general health. There is also a special need to recruit male donors and ethnically-diverse individuals
The ‘I’m in for Jocelyn’ stem cell drive is part of a year-long campaign to honour Jocelyn’s work as an advocate of stem cell donation. In addition to the drive, social media posts will be shared for the rest of the school year to bring attention to McGlynn's story and educate people on stem cell donation.
“It’s so important that we share Jocelyn’s story, not only because she was a student at Western, but also because her work to recruit stem cell donors for other patients in need is a mission we share," said Western Stem Club Co-President Brady Park. "There’s a lot that we can learn from her courage and advocacy, and we’re here to continue what she started.”
Those who wish to support the initiative can join the virtual drive any time between 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. on March 7 and March 13. Volunteers will be available via Zoom during those times to answer questions about stem cell donation and assist with online registration. You can join the Zoom meeting by clicking here.