Community searches for stem cell donation for Filipino-Canadian man from Richmond

In order to survive, Lintag needs to find a stem cell donor, with Sarah Jasmines from Canadian Blood Services saying, “You only find matches within your own ethnic group, but in Martin’s case, he’s Filipino. That’s about one percent of our database, so you’re looking for a needle in a haystack. For some communities, that haystack is a lot smaller than other,” adding that there are currently no matching donors in their registry. (File Photo: Martin Lintag/Facebook)

The Filipino Canadian community of Richmond, British Columbia gathered to find a stem cell donor for 30-year-old Martin Lintag, who was diagnosed with two types of leukemia days after his birthday.

Lintag shared that after diagnosis, his “mind was kind of at a standstill,” saying, “It was paralyzing.” Despite chemotherapy and other forms of treatment, doctors told Lintag that the cancer was not going away and he had only three months to live. In Lintag’s words, “I’m subconsciously counting down how much time I have left.” He shared that his condition is worsening by the day, explaining, “My body has basically broken down while waiting for a match. Just this past week, I learned that my cancer cells jumped from four percent to 60 percent.”

In order to survive, Lintag needs to find a stem cell donor, with Sarah Jasmines from Canadian Blood Services saying, “You only find matches within your own ethnic group, but in Martin’s case, he’s Filipino. That’s about one percent of our database, so you’re looking for a needle in a haystack. For some communities, that haystack is a lot smaller than other,” adding that there are currently no matching donors in their registry.

In order to find a donor, Lintag’s loved ones organized a stem cell swab at Vancouver’s Croatian Cultural Centre last Saturday, February 2, testing out volunteers aged 17 to 35 DNA by swabbing their cheeks in hopes of finding a match. One of the organizers Adrienne San Juan shared that the event also honors those who are going through similar cases as Lintag, saying, “We just wanted to pay it forward and help other Filipino families go through this and help them with doing the drives.” Similar drives have also been initiated in Toronto and Edmonton.

Lintag reacted to the event saying, “It’s really encouraging that I’m not alone in this fight.” If ever a donor has been found, Lintag said that “it would mean the world to [him,” adding, “It would be a second chance at life.”