VICTORIA -- A Vancouver Island father who bravely fought leukemia and became a champion for a more ethnically diverse pool of stem cell donors has died.
According a Facebook group and a GoFundMe account, Jeremy Chow died in late May after several lengthy battles with acute myeloid leukemia.
The Saanich man is described by friends as a loving husband and father of two vibrant young girls.
“Blessed with a quick wit and infectious laugh, he was easy-going, stoic, fair and selfless,” says a post on his Match4Jeremy Facebook page. “Always willing to help a friend and was never afraid to speak his mind.”
A stem cell donor could have saved, or significantly prolonged Jeremy’s life, but finding one was never simple.
Chow was of mixed Chinese and Caucasian descent, and according to medical experts, a stem cell donor would need a similar ethnic background.
Chow and his medical team searched tirelessly for a match, but could not find a donor that would fit his unique genetic makeup.
Even as he became more sick, Chow campaigned for Canadians from all ethnic backgrounds to become donors.
He also offered his voice and social media exposure to boost the profile of others looking for rare stem-cell donors.
According to Canadian Blood Services, stem cell transplants can cure over 80 diseases and disorders.
A Canadian stem cell territory manager says there are currently 600 people looking for a match despite the 400,000 donors in the database.
The list is mainly comprised of white donors, with only three per cent of those having a mixed ethnic background.
Friends of Jeremy Chow have launched a GoFundMe page to offer some financial support to his two daughters.
