Mom with cancer looking for ‘last hope’ stem cell donor

A Toronto woman diagnosed with a life-threatening cancer in February is looking for her last hope: a stem cell donor.

Cathy Anagnostopoulos, a mother of three, found out she had acute myeloid leukemia just two months ago.

“It seems like one minute your whole life just blows up in front of you and it’s really devastating,” Anagnostopoulos told CityNews on Wednesday.

Doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital told her there was only one solution.

“The only way to help me or to cure the illness or to help me the function the way I was before, is a stem cell transplant,” she said.

Now, she and her family are looking for a match, and they’re using the Canadian Blood Services to help them find it. Through the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, the CBS hopes to find potential donors for people like Cathy.

“For these patients, it is vital that they have a stem cell transplant. It truly is their last hope,” patient and transplant specialist Mary Lynn Pride said.

Cathy’s family has organized several events for OneMatch, hoping to find that donor. Participants are asked to give a cheek swab, and then those samples are analyzed.

“When people are coming out to events like these, yes, the hope is that they’re going to match Cathy, but they’re recognizing that at any given time, they could be called to be a match for a patient here in Canada or anywhere in the world. And for that patient, it is the gift of life,” Pride said.

If you want to find out more about Cathy, including how to help, visit the website.

CityNews reporter Melanie Ng speaks with Cathy Anagnostopoulos in the video below.