Mr. Speaker, Noor Deol was born in Brampton and grew up like most boys, full of energy and optimism for the future. But in 2010, Noor was diagnosed with cancer, more specifically, acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Noor's cancer has been very aggressive. Chemotherapy has not been an effective treatment. Noor needs a bone marrow transplant now.
For more than five years, Noor's family has desperately been appealing to people across Canada and abroad, hoping to find a match. The problem is that while there are 350,000 registered bone marrow donors in Canada, 71% are Caucasian, while only 4.8% are South Asian. Noor's best chance of finding a match is among South Asian males aged 17 to 35.
Like so many, I pray for Noor and urge my fellow Canadians and all people around the world to register with OneMatch or a similar organization abroad. Signing up requires only a simple and painless cheek swab, and could save Noor Deol's life and restore his health for the future.