Forget chocolates and flowers for Valentine’s Day.  There's another way for guys to look good in the eyes of their loved ones: get swabbed. That's what dozens of gallant young students did in Carleton Place in the name of saving lives.  "Getting swabbed" is a program run by Canadian Blood Services targeting young men in high school and university potentially to donate stem cells.  It came to Carleton Place all because of a young female basketball player fighting for her life.  The Carleton Place High School senior girls’ basketball team has played for years against Kingston player Mackenzie Curran.  Last August, the 16-year-old was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a blood disorder.  She required a stem cell transplant.  17-year-old twins, Keisha and Teagan Simpson, who play for the Carleton Place team, organized a “Get Swabbed” event to help raise awareness of the need for donors.

"When we heard her situation,” says Teagan Simpson, “we just wanted to help and we knew this could affect any one of us.”

Canadian Blood Services is bringing its "Get Swabbed" program into high schools and universities across the country looking specifically for young males between the ages of 17 and 35.  They offer the best chance of success for patients in need of a stem cell transplant.

“Males between the ages of 17 and 35 provide the best outcome for our patients post-transplant,” says Jessica Stergiou, with Canadian Blood Services’ OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, “the highest chance that those stem cells will take, that they will graft and the lowest instance of that patient developing graft vs. host disease.”

Stergiou says the more young, healthy male they can get on the registry, the better the chances of saving more lives, “We see the doors open and young guys jumping on board because they get (the fact )that they could be a hero, not just to their girlfriend or their mom but a hero to someone they've never met and save their life.”

17-year-old Kristian Clarke signed up.  His girlfriend thinks he’s a hero. 

“I think it’s courageous, what he’s going to be doing, “says Carleton Place High school student Cherish Trimble.  She, too, is getting swabbed. So is Grade 11 student Brad Brisson.

"It's kind of cool they're going after the age in high school and I get to help out.”

The "swab" involves a large Q-tip, rolled over the inside of the cheek for about 20 seconds. It collects DNA samples that help determine a match between donors and patients.  If there is a match, the actual process to retrieve the stem cells is similar to a blood donation, according to Jessica Stergiou.

“It felt weird,” says Grade 12 student Ryanna Baich, “like having a mitten in your mouth for a minute.”

 Most people who do the swab won't likely ever get a call to donate stems cells but if they do…

“I will feel amazing because I helped save a life, “says Grade 12 student Stirling Parks.

As for Kristian Clarke, the swab was no big deal.

“I think it was really easy,” says Clarke, “and everyone should do it.”

Mackenzie Curran, that Kingston basketball player has found a match and had her stem cell transplant in November.  She's doing well. The samples collected at Carleton Place High School will go into a registry for thousands of others in need. There are currently about one thousand Canadian people searching for that one potential stem cell donor who could save their lives.