Nipissing University and Canadore College are teaming up once again with Canadian Blood Services to host their annual Swab In events, aiming to register over 400 new potential stem cell donors

‘It only takes 15 minutes’—that’s the message from organizers of this year’s Swab In campaign as they encourage young adults from all backgrounds to step up as potential stem cell donors.

The Rotary Club of Nipissing, Nipissing University and Canadore College, in partnership with the Canadian Blood Services, have announced the latest Swab In registration events for potential stem cell donors. 

You need to be 17 to 35 years of age.  As well, ethnic diversity will help build a robust registry. The events are open to the public, and international students are welcome.

Members of the LGBTQIA+ community can join the registry and donate.

“You won’t be asked about your sexual orientation when registering because it doesn’t factor into choosing the best possible match for a patient,” says a news release.

Colin Vickers a stem cell recipient, recently returned from meeting his donor “Charlie” in Scotland.  He states that it was both “magical and serene.” 

Charlie shared this important thought with him: “I’m a ‘pay it forward’ kind of person and was always taught to go through life acting the way I would want to be treated. When I was made aware of the register and what it meant to a family we knew personally, there was never a doubt for me that I wanted to register. I’m glad I did, and someone has benefited from it.”  As well, Charlie said: “People in small Scottish communities like Rothesay just step up to do these things.”  

In May, Vickers met Charlie.

“Since then, I have written a story about our relationship with the help of Joan Vickers and Kathy Stackelberg. It’s entitled Hi Mate … Your Pal . This is a reference to the first anonymous letter I received from Charlie.

Vickers hopes to continue to grow theirrelationship.

“I hope Charlie will visit us in Canada. Charlie is open to sharing his story as a way of encouraging fellow Scots to register. For my part, I lead a project based North Bay to educate people about blood stem cell transplantation and register potential donors. We have registered 500 people in the last couple of years, and our “reach” is expanding with an expectation that we will have registered 1.000 people within the next school year.”

Vickers, with the additional support of the Nipissing University Nursing Society, Canadore Students’ Council, and Nipissing University Students’ Union, hopes to register 400+ students, faculty, and staff as donors, surpassing the 302 registered in March 2023. 

“A great turnout from varsity teams and clubs helps us meet our goal, he says.

 “Stem cells can treat several kinds of blood cancers as well as approximately 80 other medical conditions, including sickle cell disease and, in some cases, multiple sclerosis,” said fourth-year Nipissing University nursing student and varsity soccer athlete Paris Grosselle.  “I enjoyed volunteering last year and hope to see an even more diverse representation this year.  Let’s have registrants from all ethnic backgrounds and a better turnout from men on the Canadore and Nipissing campuses.”

The need to find good “matches” from the list of “matched unrelated donors” and the number of patients exceeds what is available on the Canadian Blood Services registry and the Hema Quebec registry. But registries around the world are linked to help find matches.  There is a significant need to recruit more donors.  Currently, there are more than 900 Canadian patients waiting for a match.

To register as a donor, attend one of the four Swab In events to be held on Wednesday, October 1, and Thursday, October 2.  At the registration desk, you will complete a brief screening survey online, and, once you are screened, complete a cheek swab kit.  15 minutes … easy!

Event Dates, Times, and Locations


Wed. Oct. 1st 10 am to 3 pm outside College Drive bookstore
Wed. Oct. 1st 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm at Nipissing Surtees Athletic Centre main hallway – this event is ideal for members of the public to attend.
Thursday Oct. 2nd 10 am to 3 pm outside College Drive bookstore
Thursday Oct. 2nd 10 am to 3 pm outside cafeteria at Canadore Commerce Court campus

For general information about stem cell donation, you can follow this link.