Speaking about her experience donating bone marrow this past June, third year Trent nursing student, Audrey Massender says: “Thanks to the inspiring doctors and nurses that I want to be like one day, I was better in a week. The question everyone asks me is, did it hurt? I’m not going to lie, yes it hurts but it is nothing compared to what families like David Smyth’s go through on a daily basis.”

Ms. Massender was approached to take part in the OneMatch swab event, the national stem cell registry run by Canadian Blood Services, on campus in 2013. The event has been held annually at Trent University since the passing of Trent student, David Smyth in 2010. David, a first year student at the time, had been battling Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, a rare form of leukemia and passed away after an unsuccessful search for a bone marrow match.

David’s parents, Mike and Kim Smyth, joined a crowd on November 4 at the Trent Athletics Centre to celebrate the partnership between Trent University and Canadian Blood Services and to encourage students to give blood and join the national stem cell registry run.

Mr. and Mrs. Smyth continue to remain very involved in the Trent community, saying that their son loved Trent, and that they are so happy that the Trent and Peterborough communities have supported the OneMatch and blood drive events in their son’s honour.

Ms. Massander isn’t the only Trent student who was swabbed at an event and matched to a patient in need. Eddie Delaney ‘09 a recent Trent graduate took part in the inaugural OneMatch event at Trent in 2010, after having attended classes with David Smyth the year before. After being contacted that he was a match, Mr. Delaney donated bone marrow in 2014 saying, “it’s a temporary pain but what you’re doing for that person makes it worth it forever.”

Trent University and Canadian Blood Services will host a blood donation clinic on Friday, November 13, 2015 from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00p.m. in the Athletics Centre and a OneMatch stem cell swab drive on Thursday, November 19, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in Otonabee College Commons. All members of the Trent and Peterborough community are invited and encouraged to participate.