The Cellfie Project is a unique program at IWK Health that helps young patients and families better understand a leukemia (a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow) diagnosis. Through the Cellfie Project, patients visit the IWK’s hematopathology lab to learn and see pictures (‘cellfies’) of their healthy cells and leukemia cells during and after treatment to show that the leukemia cells have been eliminated.
Dr. David Conrad, Division Head, Hematopathology, at IWK Health, developed the project to connect with patients and families and take some of the uncertainty out of the cancer journey.
By the time the patient and their family see me, they know their diagnosis and have started treatment and are well enough to come to the lab. I see how much it means to them to have their questions answered. It feels like I am able to do more than just diagnose leukemia – I feel I am able to have a positive influence in the patient’s difficult journey and provide a level of comfort that comes with having a better understanding of their diagnosis.”
~Dr. David Conrad, Division Head, Hematopathology, IWK Health
As participants in the Cellfie Project, patients tour the lab and become honourary pathologists. They receive a lab coat, a stuffie of a cell that turns from a “bad” cancer cell to a “good” white blood cell, and a USB drive of their cell pictures (also known as a ‘cellfie’ stick).
Learn more about The Cellfie Project.