Thompson Rivers University students are being asked to step up and swab their cheeks this week, to help save a life.

Its part of the Canadian Blood Services 1,000 swabs campaign which is calling on students between the ages of 17 and 35 to register and become a stem cell donor.

Spokesperson Adrienne San Juan says they will be at TRU in Kamloops on Tuesday, February 6 from noon till 3 p.m.

“We will be handing out swab kits for people to take home and swab and then we ask that they bring back their swab kits to us on February 13th.”

San Juan says students who come from an mixed-race background could be the match a patient has been waiting for.

“Diversity actually plays a very important role when it comes to matching stem cells, for example, my sister is Filipino and she needed a match who was also of Filipino descent, so it is matching through genetics is how we match our stem cell transplants.”

San Juan was asked why Canadian Blood Services is looking to younger people as part of this campaign.

“There is better outcomes for the patient when they receive stem cells from people between the ages of 17 to 35. They are less likely to go into a remission when they receive these stem cell transplants from younger donors.”