The Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society was named for Constable Bruce Denniston, who was a 36-year-old RCMP member when he was diagnosed with leukemia in 1987. His only hope for survival was a bone marrow transplant. None of his family members were compatible donors, and so an unrelated donor was sought. There was no official Donor Registry in Canada at that time — however there was an unofficial database with fewer than 1,500 volunteer donors.
As a result of Bruce’s need, his colleagues in the RCMP and the community of Powell River, B.C., rallied to his cause and spread the word about the need for donors, not only for Bruce, but for all patients in similar circumstances. This led to a ground swell of initiatives including the formation of the Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society. Although a donor match was eventually found for Bruce, unfortunately the disease had ravaged his body for too long, and he was unable to recover from the transplant. He was 37 when he passed away.
Building a registry to save lives
To this day the Society continues to raise money to help the Canadian Blood Services Donor Registry find donor matches as quickly and effectively as possible. This partnership between the Registry and the Society, in its third decade, is committed to a common goal of saving as many lives as possible. Attaining this objective means that every man, woman and child, needing a bone marrow transplant, can have hope for a second chance at life. “We are proud and honored to be a part of this great Canadian story,” says Brent MacDonald, Chapter President.
“The Ottawa Hospital Blood and Marrow Transplant Program performs approximately 200 stem cell transplants per year for the treatment of blood cancers and other rare blood or immune disorders. Approximately 33% of these transplants will require an unrelated stem cell donor, recruited through one of several registries worldwide,” says Dr. Carey Landry, Program Manager at the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program from the Ottawa Hospital.
From donor to recipient, Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society delivers
“To this end, the Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society provides volunteer courier services for the transport of unrelated donor stem cells to our patients in need. This group, comprised mainly of retired RCMP officers, travels the world on short notice with quick turnaround and 100% commitment to the safety and security of the life-sustaining product in their care,” Dr. Landry explains.
Couriers provide approximately 100 trips annually to retrieve bone marrow, peripheral stem cells, or donor lymphocytes from allogenic donors anywhere in the world. Recently a similar relationship has been established with the Hamilton Health Sciences, Juravinski Transplant Center. Additionally, the Ottawa Chapter currently supports the Canadian Blood Services by organizing donor registration events at local community centers, schools, museums, and special patient campaigns, along with local high schools that raise awareness of the Canadian Stem Cell Registry and results in several thousands of students and teachers joining the registry every year.
