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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, May 10, 2012 · 12 By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville man seeks a bone marrow donor When Mahmoud Hakim immigrated to Canada in 1976 from Lebanon, the move held promise for the future. Today, he still has hope, for the same thing. Hakim married a few years later and raised two children. He started a trucking business and has moved around the country, living in British Columbia, Québec and places in between. In 2005, however, things changed for Hakim, who is now 63. He has spent the last seven years fighting chronic lymphocytic leukemia, via seven stints of chemotherapy -- three intravenous and four with pills. For at least half of those years, during the months of chemotherapy procedures at Credit Valley Hospital, he has been unable to work and has now been told he'll likely never return to his job. The cancer has advanced recently and Hakim needs a bone marrow transplant. He has returned to chemo treatment, but it was previously ineffective, and he has no other options available to him. With a one-in-four chance a sibling could be a bone marrow match, Hakim was confident one of his eight siblings could be a donor. However, not one of the four living in North America, or those living back home in Lebanon, NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog in need of a match: Mahmoud Hakim, 63, has been battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia since 2005 and the disease is advancing. Not one of his of many siblings is a bone marrow transplant match and he is appealing to people of Lebanese/Middle Eastern descent to register in the hopes of finding a match. are a match for him. "In my husband's situation, he needs lots of blood and lots of platelets. A bone marrow donor match would be the ultimate treatment," his wife Judy said. "There's risk involved in that type of operation, but that's the only option that he's got. He's trying this chemo treatment that didn't work." Judy and Mahmoud are appealing to people of Middle Eastern descent and all people to register to become bone marrow donors at www. onematch.ca. "My doctor says it's better to find someone of my race... Your chance is better with your own race," Mahmoud said. "But, I don't care if people of different coun- tries or race donate. If they donate and they have a match for someone else like me, you've done something good for people, for someone waiting for something like this. If they find someone from my country and it matches someone else, I don't care, give it to them." Mahmoud is one of more than 900 Canadians on a wait list for bone marrow through OneMatch. Finding a match is difficult and only about one per cent of all Canadians are registered to be donors. "My only hope is to find someone, a donor for bone marrow," Mahmoud said. He is encouraged, however, by the experience of a co-worker. The fellow worker also battled leukemia and was off work for two years. The man's only sister was a match for him and he has since returned to health and is working again. "Since then, I've been asking him, `How is everything?' He says: `Perfect'." For bone marrow, Canadian Blood Services stipulates a donor must be between 17-50 years of age, but the focus is on healthy young people who are able to recover from a donation quickly. The organization regularly sets up awareness campaigns at universities to register students. The Hakims are encouraging all young people to register to become donors, which could save someone's life. They also hope to raise awareness about the disease, saying they themSee This page 14 OAKVILLE CIVITAN FARMERS MARKET MOVES FROM HOPEDALE MALL TO (Dorval & N. Service Rd.) DORVAL CROSSING EAST May 12th and every Saturday after 8:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. Your Market, New Home, New Name Dorval Crossing Civitan Formers Market www.oakvillecivitan.ca