When David Smyth was told two months ago that the aggressive leukemia he had been warding off his entire life had finally arrived, he was reflective and gracious.

“I’ve had a good life,” Smyth told his parents. “Thank you.”

Smyth, who had Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, died Friday. He was 20.

In the short time since receiving the diagnosis, Smyth’s family — led by his parents, Mike and Kim — desperately searched for someone who could provide a bone-marrow transplant, Smyth’s only chance at survival.

The Oakville youth inspired communities across Southern Ontario, who lined up in hundreds to have their cheeks swabbed and tested.

Numerous donor drives were held, with more planned for the coming weeks.

Trent University in Peterborough was planning an event on Sept. 21 aiming to have its entire student population tested.

Smyth knew the drives may have been too late to save his own life, but he wanted to raise awareness about how simple it is to get tested and added to Canada’s bone marrow registry, his father said.

Reached Friday night on his cellphone, Mike Smyth was too grief-stricken to speak.

During the course of the donor drives, Mike Smyth was overwhelmed and thankful for the community support shown for his son, but he was critical of Canadian Blood Services and the length of time it takes to test bone marrow samples for a possible match — a few weeks or longer.

But Canadian Blood Services says the complex testing can’t be done any quicker.

Smyth studied political science at the University of Toronto and was a regular at the gym, his mother said. Even with frequent hospital visits for SDS, he had an active childhood.

Despite his lifelong struggles, Smyth’s mother, Kim, said in July that her son often laughs at the fact that he had been through so much at such a young age.

“There’s no hint of pity, just irony,” she said.

When he was admitted to hospital in June for hip pain — which later turned out to be the first symptoms of his leukemia — friends and family thought it was because he was working out too hard.

Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, or SDS, is a rare genetic disorder that affects at least one in 50,000 births worldwide and often leads to death in early teens. The Hospital for Sick Children treats about 20 cases from across the country every year.

Children with SDS have a pancreatic defect that leads to digestion difficulties, insufficient production of white blood cells, skeletal abnormalities and short stature. They are prone to infection, and often die of acute myelogenous leukemia or bone marrow failure, which is not very responsive to chemotherapy.

For more information about Canadian Blood Services One Match stem cell and bone marrow network, and to learn how to be added to Canada’s bone marrow registry, visit onematch.ca.

A bone marrow sample drive in Smyth’s honour, sponsored by Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn and Halton Health Services, will be held Tuesday at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital at 327 Reynolds St. in Oakville, from 1 to 7 p.m.