Canada's blood supply has a diversity problem and people are dying because of it We tell ourselves the difference of race and ethnicity is only skin deep, but when it comes to our blood and stem cells in particular, who we are genetically can tip the balance between life and death when people are sick. Social Sharing Blood, especially blood stem cells, can be specific to race or ethnicity, so diversity is key to saving lives Posted: Feb 01, 2021 5:00 AM ET | Last Updated: February 1 Lauren Sano with her father Mark, seen here last year when he was in hospital being treated for a rare form of leukemia. Mark Sano died in October of 2020. He was 52.(Submitted by Lauren Sano)