Lesson 2: Blood, Tissue and Organ Donation
Part A. Read the information below. Look up the unknown words in the dictionary,
but first try to infer their meaning in context.
Background Information
Although the first blood transfusions date back to the 1600’s, it wasn’t until the 1800’s that
human blood was used instead of animal blood. It was 1907 before scientists figured out the
basics of blood typing and matching. The first successful bone marrow transplants were
completed in 1968 and it took an additional twenty years for stem cell transplants to begin.
Blood transfusions, bone marrow and stem cells transplants are common in countries around the
world today. Although part of standard medical practice, these procedures can also be
controversial.
For example, Jehovah Witnesses do not believe in blood transfusion, even to save a life. This
belief has put them at odds with the medical community and the law, particularly when the patient
is a child. There have been cases where the courts have over-ruled the family’s wishes and
ordered a transfusion to save a child’s life.
Organ transplants do not have as long a history as blood transfusions. The first successful organ
transplant was when a kidney was transplanted from one identical twin to another in 1954. In 1962,
the first successful transplant from a dead donor was completed. Today, there are far more people
waiting to receive organs than there are organs available for transplant.
The concept of organ donation at the time of imminent death or after death can be difficult for
members of certain faiths. For example, people of Jewish and Muslim faith believe in quick burials.
Some members of these faiths may be concerned that organ donation could delay burial. Another
reason members of certain faiths may oppose organ donation is because they see it as a violation
of the human body. This is contrary to their beliefs.
Organ donation practices in some countries can be very controversial. Until recently, organ
transplants in China relied on the availability of organs from executed prisoners. This policy was
criticized internationally and is being phased out.
In other parts of the world, there is a black market for organs. According to the World Health
Organization, an organ is sold on the black market every hour of every day. Kidneys are frequently
sold on the black market in some countries. There are cases where wealthy people have paid
large sums of money to gangs in China, India and Pakistan to harvest kidneys from poor and
desperate people. The organ donors receive only a small amount of the money and often suffer a
lack of proper medical care both during and after the operation.
Most countries, including Canada, have strict legal rules around organ donation. These rules
include a “double veto system.” This means that even if you sign up to donate an organ, if your
death is imminent and your family is opposed to donating your organs, they can veto your decision
and go against your wishes. That’s why it’s important not only to sign up to donate on the online
registry, but also to discuss your wishes with your family in advance.
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Part B. Can you express your opinions and reservations about a sensitive topic?
How would you answer the following questions about blood, tissue and organ donation?

What is your opinion of organ transplants? What about blood transfusions?

Would you ever consider donating an organ or blood? Why or why not?

Would you have any reservations about being the recipient of an organ, bone marrow or a
blood transfusion? Explain your answer.

How would you react if a family member signed a donor card saying that they would want as
many organs as possible harvested from their body if they died?
Part C. Listening
Part 1. Vocabulary Definitions
Here are some words you need to know to understand the CBC interview.
to donate blood
When someone volunteers to donate blood in
Canada, it is removed from their body through a
needle and stored so it can be used in a hospital to
help someone who is ill or injured.
stem cells
Stem cells are a special type of cell in the body.
Stem cells have the potential to develop into
multiple types of cells that the body needs.
bone marrow
The soft substance in the hollow centre of human
bones is called bone marrow.
an organ donor
An organ donor is someone who gives an organ
(e.g. a kidney) to be used in an organ transplant to
another human being.
Sign Up for Life
Sign Up for Life is the name of a website
Manitobans can use to register as organ and tissue
donors.
leukemia
Leukemia is a type of cancer of the blood.
a transplant
A transplant is a medical operation where an organ
or tissue (e.g. skin) is moved from one person’s
body to another person’s body.
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to control/cure
cancer.
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to knock down an immune system
Patients who are going to receive a transplanted
organ or tissue are given drugs to reduce the
likelihood that their own immune system will reject /
attack the transplanted organ or tissue. Their own
immune system is “knocked down” so that it won’t
attack the transplanted organ or tissue.
to re-inject
A re-injection is when a substance is taken from the
body and later returned to the body. Needles are
used for this procedure. For example, with
leukemia, a patient’s stem cells can be removed
before chemotherapy and then re-injected back into
their body after treatment is completed.
a donor registry
A donor registry is a list or data bank of people who
have agreed to donate something from their body,
e.g. stem cells, an organ.
a match
In a transplant situation, someone is considered a
match or potential donor for a recipient if specific
proteins within their blood match those of the
recipient (the person receiving the transplant).
an antigen
Examples of antigens in the body are toxins,
bacteria, foreign blood cells, and the cells of
transplanted organs.
a needle in a haystack
This idiom is used to talk about situations where
something is very rare or hard to find. For example:
Alex has a rare blood type. Finding a stem cell
donor for her is like looking for a needle in a
haystack because it will be very difficult for to find a
match.
to put out an appeal
If you put out an appeal for something, you make a
public request. For example, you might ask the
public for money, information or for assistance.
Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services is a charitable
organization. The organization’s job is to manage
the blood and blood products supply for Canadians.
to be astonishing
If something is described as astonishing, it is very
surprising and unexpected.
a ton of something
A ton of something is a lot of something. For
example: Winnipeg has a ton of snow this winter.
There’s a lot more snow than there was last year.
a kit
A kit is a set of tools or equipment that you use for a
particular purpose, e.g. a first aid kit.
a swab
A swab is a small piece of material or cotton (like a
Q-tip) that is used to take a small amount of a
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substance (e.g. saliva) from someone’s body so it
can be tested.
to be registered for something
If you are registered for something, it means you
have your name on an official list. For example:
Joelle is registered for an English class that starts in
April. She signed up for the class last week.
Part 2. Can you match the vocabulary words with the correct meaning?
Learning vocabulary before you listen helps you understand the podcast. Can you match
each vocabulary word or phrase with its meaning? You can use an English Language
Learner’s Dictionary to help you. The first one is completed for you as an example.
Vocabulary Word
Meaning
1. _d stem cells
a)
what we call toxins, bacteria or foreign blood
cells in the body
2. __ bone marrow
b)
the name of the organization that manages
blood donations/ blood products for Canadians
3. __ an organ donor
c)
a list or data bank of people who are willing to
donate something from their body, e.g. stem
cells
4. __ leukemia
d)
special cells in the body that can develop into
multiple types of cells
5. __ a transplant
e)
a set of tools or equipment that is used for a
particular purpose
6. __ chemotherapy
f)
someone who agrees to donate an organ for
transplant purposes
7. __ a donor registry
g)
a small piece of material (e.g. like that on the
end of a Q-tip) that is used for a particular
purpose
8. __ to be a match
h)
a procedure where drugs are used to treat/cure
cancer
9. __ an antigen
i)
the soft substance in the hollow centre of
human bones
10. __ to put out an appeal
j)
to have your name on an official list for
something
11. __ Canadian Blood
Services
k)
a lot of something
12. __ to be astonishing
l)
to be very surprising or unexpected
13. __ a ton of something
m)
a type of cancer of the blood
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14. __ a kit
n)
when a donor’s blood type is the same as the
recipients’ blood type in a transplant situation
15. __ a swab
o)
to ask the public to do something for you
16. __ to be registered for
something
p)
a medical operation where an organ or tissue
(e.g. skin) is removed from one person’s body
to another person’s body
Part 3. In this podcast, you will hear two speakers. You will hear:
Marcy Markusa – host and interviewer
Stuart Blake – father of a young girl with leukemia
Listen to the podcast and fill in the blanks with the words that you hear.
February 12, 2013 (broadcast date)
Speaker
Podcast
Line
Marcy
Hi I'm Marcy Markusa and you're listening to Learning English
with CBC. Have you ever ________________ blood? What
about ___________ ___________ or bone marrow? Have
you ___________ _________ as an organ ___________ on
your ___________ _________ or through the website Sign
5
Up for Life? Any or all of these actions can help save a life.
In ___________ interview, we hear about a young girl with
____________ who needs a stem cell transplant. As her
father, Stuart Blake, explains to me, the family is __________
____________ ___________ far and wide to try and find a
match for Alex’s ____________ type.
Marcy
So many people still probably don’t know much about stem cell
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transplants. ___________ ___________?
Stuart
Um well it’s a variety of different things, but the most common
is that you ___________ bone marrow from a donor and then
you essentially, using ___________, ___________
____________ one’s ___________ ____________, then reinject new bone marrow which will essentially ah create ah for
the _____________ a new immune system which will
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_________ __________ future cancer.
Marcy
And everyone has bone marrow to give, isn’t that correct?
Stuart
Correct, um, everyone has bone marrow, um there’s a
currently about ______________ people on the ___________
20
____________ um and the searches that we’ve done to date
on that registry have failed to __________ _________
__________ a match for Alex because she has one type of
antigen that’s very rare, ah so that’s why we are just looking for
that ____________ _________ _________ __________ to
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get people into register and and you never know it may be
someone __________ __________ ___________ who’s got
the same type of blood as her.
Marcy
Since you put the ___________ out and you’ve been ah in
earnest trying to find, you know the match and the donor, what
____________ have you had back from the ___________?
Stuart
Canadian Blood Services ____________ __________ to me
30
that their response, they’ve heard is ____________, ah the
number of people who __________ _________ ________ um
through my work and through friends so it’s been very good but
we literally need __________ ___________ ___________
people to register. It’s a simple process. You go on line, ah, to
35
www.blood.ca, you click on How do I donate?, you go to Stem
Cell and you follow the links and ah you ________ ________
your information, OneMatch and Canadian Blood Services will
send you a ___________ and ah you complete the ________
just with a simple _____________ ___________ _________
____________, return it and then you __________ ________.
And ah you know, it’s important for people not just to do this for
Alex but to do it, but for you know _____________ of other
people who are also waiting for ah stem cells and bone marrow
from people.
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40
Part D. Reading
Read about stem cell donation and answer detail questions.
The text is adapted from the Canadian Blood Services website. It provides basic information
about the stem cell donation registry that Stuart Blake talks about in the CBC interview. Read
the questions below to get a sense of what information you are looking for. Can you find the
details you need to correctly answer the following questions?
1. The name of the stem cell donation program is OneMatch.
True
False
2. Over seventy percent of patients who need a stem cell transplant
are unable to find a match from their own family.
True
False
3. Canadian patients can receive stem cells from around the world
because the registry is international.
True
False
4. Anyone can be a OneMatch donor.
True
False
5. Ethnicity is not a significant factor in finding a matching stem cell
donor.
True
False
6. OneMatch likes its donors to be well-informed.
True
False
7. If you want to be a donor, the first steps to take are to complete an
on-line knowledge test and consent form.
True
False
8. Potential donors send in a swab from their cheek.
True
False
9. There is no cost to you if you are selected to donate stem cells.
True
False
10. There are two ways stem cells can be donated.
True
False
11. Both donation procedures involve surgery that is performed under
general anaesthesia.
True
False
Learn about Stem Cell Donation1
1. What is OneMatch all about?
OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network is responsible for finding and matching volunteer
donors to patients who require stem cell transplants. Fewer than 30 per cent of patients who
need stem cell transplants find a compatible donor within their own family. The rest rely on
those who have volunteered to donate stem cells to anyone in need.
1
Information adapted from Canadian Blood Services website:
www.blood.ca/CentreApps/Internet/UW_V502_MainEngine.nsf/page/E_ubmdrPKG-intro?OpenDocument&p=OMFormE
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There are more than 11 million donors around the world. International registries have
significantly increased the odds of being able to find a matching donor for any patient,
anywhere in the world.
2. Who is eligible to join OneMatch?
You may be eligible to join if you are between 17 and 50 years old and meet certain health
criteria.
Some health problems could make you ineligible. There are also height and weight restrictions
in place to protect both donors and recipients.
A person's best chance of finding a matching donor is within his or her own ethnic group, As
such, it is important that the donors on OneMatch reflect Canada's rich ethnic diversity. It is
also important for the future of OneMatch to attract young donors. Right now, there is a
special need for ethnic males aged 17 to 35.
3. How do I join OneMatch?

Step 1: Complete the OneMatch Knowledge Test
Being an informed donor is a vital part of the donation process. It is important that you
have read the online Donor Information Package and completed the Knowledge Test
before deciding to join. You will be asked to answer 10 True or False questions to
ensure that you have a basic understanding of stem cell donation.

Step 2: Online Health Assessment and Consent form
Once you have submitted your Health Assessment and consent form online, you will
receive an email confirming that we have received your information. We will then call
you within 8-10 working days to discuss your eligibility to receive a buccal swab kit and
proceed with your enrolment.

Step 3: Swab your cheek and mail back the kit. The swab identifies DNA and whether
you would be a match for someone. (There is a link to a video which shows you how to
do this correctly on the website.) You are then fully registered!
4. Does joining OneMatch cost me anything?
No. Joining OneMatch is free and you won't be charged for any part of the testing or donation
process.
5. How do I donate stem cells?

One way to donate stem cells is through your circulating blood. The stem cells are
collected using a procedure where your blood is drawn through a needle. The stem cells
are then separated from the rest of your blood, and the remaining blood is returned
back into your body through another needle. This is a non-surgical procedure and the
risks to the donor are very minimal.
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
The second way is through bone marrow stem cell donation. This is a surgical
procedure performed under anesthesia. A doctor uses special, hollow needles to
withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bones. The procedure usually lasts
from 45-90 minutes. It is a safe procedure but there are some potential risks you can
discuss with the doctor undertaking the procedure.
Part E. Writing
Write a paragraph on the following topic: Would you ever consider donating an organ or
blood? Why or why not?
Be sure to include a topic sentence, at thee supporting details, and a conclusion in your
paragraph.
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