Bill 225 2007

An Act to make the month of November Bone Marrow Awareness Month

Preamble

Each year, hundreds of Canadians need bone marrow transplants to treat potentially life-threatening illnesses, yet fewer than 30 per cent of these patients will find a family member that can donate compatible stem cells found in bone marrow.  For a majority of patients, an unrelated donor is the only available source of bone marrow.

In order to help these patients and others around the world find compatible, committed and healthy unrelated donors, the Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry was established in 1989 by the Canadian Red Cross Society and assumed by Canadian Blood Services in 1998.

The success of the Registry however depends on people who are willing to sign up to provide the living gift of life to someone who is not related to them and while many patients have received a life-saving bone marrow transplant from a donor found through the Registry, many others continue to search for their miracle match.

For this reason, the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association was founded in 2005 to promote awareness about worldwide bone marrow registries, to educate on bone marrow donation, to bring attention to the pressing need for bone marrow donors and to encourage all adults to consider joining the Registry.

Making the month of November Bone Marrow Awareness Month supports the work of both the Canadian Blood Services and the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association by raising awareness of the need to increase the size of the volunteer donor pool in order to better the chances of finding a matching bone marrow donor for every patient in need of a transplant.

Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Bone Marrow Awareness Month

   1.  The month of November in each year is hereby named Bone Marrow Awareness Month.

Commencement

   2.  This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short title

   3.  The short title of this Act is the Bone Marrow Awareness Month Act, 2007.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The purpose of the Bill is to make the month of November in each year Bone Marrow Awareness Month.