Fil-Canadian needs stem cell donor to beat cancer

RICHMOND, British Columbia — Members of the Filipino community are trying to help Martin Lintag of Richmond, B.C., who needs a stem cell donation to fight cancer.

Lintag was diagnosed with two forms of leukemia last fall just after his 30th birthday.

He has had chemotherapy and other forms of treatment, which have been hard on his body. Doctors have given him three months to a year to live.

Cancer patient Martin Lintag needs a stem cell match. FACEBOOK

Lintag needs a stem cell donation to survive. But Sarah Jasmines with Canadian Blood Services says there are no matching donors on the registry. Matches can only be found in one’s ethnic group, in Lintag’s case, Filipino.

Volunteers recently organized a stem cell swab at Vancouver’s Croatian Cultural Centre in the hopes of finding a match.

Blood Services says finding a match is like winning the lottery, but some donor drives have been successful in the past.