What happens when a patient suffering from a bone marrow disease needs a transplant? First, the medical team in charge tries to find a compatible donor within the patient’s family as the possibility of a match between relatives is higher. However, in a lot of cases the patient is not compatible with someone in their family. The next step is then to look for a compatible donor within the national registry of volunteer donors. This process can take a long time and the wait can be draining.
Luckily there is a solution to that. The more registered donors, the higher the chances to find a compatible match.
Every country has a national registry which is linked to the registries of other countries. That means that if you register as a donor at your local hospital or bone marrow donor association, you could be giving hope to someone who is located on the other side of the world. Becoming a donor is an incredibly impactful way of helping others and making a difference in someone’s life.
It is also a very simple process.
Find your local bone marrow donors association or get in contact with your local hospital. You will be asked some health-related questions and then a simple cheek swab will be done to register you and see if you are a possible match for someone in need. Nowadays, this process can also be done online, and you can receive a swabbing kit at home.
In the fortunate event of a match, you will be contacted and after a preliminary health check you will be able to donate. You will either be asked to donate through a bone marrow harvest, which require general anaesthesia or to donate blood stem cells, which is the same procedure as donating blood.
In both cases you will only feel a mild discomfort.
Below you will find where you can register as a donor:
Greece: Orama Elpidas- Xarise Zoi – Ministry of Health
Italy: Registro Italiano Donatori di Midollo Osseo
Denmark: Sunhed.dk
United Kingdom: British Bone Marrow Registry
And if you are located anywhere else in the world you can find where to register here and here.
Register today – Save a life tomorrow
