The RCMP always get their man...

... or in this case, their woman.

I picked up the mail the other day to find an envelope from the RCMP. My first thought was that I'd managed to pick up a multanova ticket. But then I realized I hadn't taken my car out of the city for weeks, so it couldn't be that.

I was intensely curious when I opened the envelope.

Turns out the RCMP were helping the Canadian Blood Services track people down. It seems that I'm a potential match for the Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Program. I was surprised since I'd first signed up for the program probably a decade ago - in fact they have me in the system under my old name.

So there's a questionnaire, and then if everything matches up on it, some additional testing. Right now they say I'm a 60% match, which doesn't sound like it would actually be much good, but apparently it's close enough that they're doing the followup.

It's one of those kinds of things that you don't really expect to happen - a bit like jury duty perhaps (which I've actually managed to avoid till this point in my life) - so it was a real surprise to get the call. I don't know how I feel about it. If I am a match, I could really help someone. But if I'm not a match, I avoid what I understand is a very painful procedure.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.