4 ms·

There is something you can do to help people with leukemia: register as a stem cell donor. Germany has a very strong system with 71.000 stem cell or bone marrow

by JanSt 8y ago

There is something you can do to help people with leukemia: register as a stem cell donor. Germany has a very strong system with 71.000 stem cell or bone marrow donations per year while there are only 11.000 cases of leukemia in Germany - most go to the rest of the world. There are 5.7 million registered donors[1] (total population is around 80 million). [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DKMS https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DKMS

Vinnl 8y ago
I found this website that lists the equivalent organisations around the world - or at least, it lists DKMS for Germany, and the one I know to be correct for the Netherlands: https://swabtheworld.com/become-a-donor/ https://swabtheworld.com/become-a-donor/ For one reason or another they don't link directly to those organisations, but if you have the name, you should be able to find out the rest.
looperhacks 8y ago
This. Registering is very easy, at least in Germany. I did it because I stumbled upon an event that did a mass registration, but you can also request a kit that contains everything you need to register. Just send the cotton swab (?) back, it's easy and no pain involved. Please look up whether there's an organization near you that offers services like this.
- pluma 8y ago
  I registered online with DKMS. They send you the kit, you send back the swab in the pre-stamped envelope, it's really that simple.
Oras 8y ago
Good shout! I've done it a few weeks ago and its quite straightforward process.
- Bouncingsoul1 8y ago
  Can confirm, painless and without any side effects
Balgair 8y ago
Though I have not personally donated, I have been swabbed in the US via the BeTheMatch organization [0] and I know people who have donated. The swabbing process is very easy and free. However, donation is not as easy as with blood. The process covers a few weeks, typically a flight and overnight stay before donation, and then the process itself which can be difficult at times. One key thing that I discovered is that you do not ever meet your match and there are strict rules against this (due to prior events with racism, sexism, religious issues, etc). Bone marrow donation is not an easy thing. However, it is a heroic thing. You are very personally and quite literally, saving someone's life that you will likely never meet (what a world we live in!). With blood donation, it's a bit less connected, at least here in the US. They tell you that you are saving up to 3 people's lives. But outside of the donation station, you never really think about it again or hear from anyone about it. With marrow donation, you, and only you, are the reason that another real person is alive [1]. It's much more, well, intimate(?) than with blood donation. Also, as HN tends to be a bit more on the paranoid side, I checked and they do NOT store any genetic information about you. Only the lymphocyte tests are stored via HIPAA compliance and are deleted when you decide to go off the registry. It seems that they are not very shady, so to speak, and really are trying to save lives and nothing else. Please, if you are able, consider becoming a donor today. Be an honest-to-God, real, actual Hero today. [0] https://bethematch.org/ https://bethematch.org/ [1] Not to discount all the staff, nurses, doctors, researchers, financial donors, etc.

by JanSt 8y ago

Vinnl 8y ago

I found this website that lists the equivalent organisations around the world - or at least, it lists DKMS for Germany, and the one I know to be correct for the Netherlands: https://swabtheworld.com/become-a-donor/ https://swabtheworld.com/become-a-donor/ For one reason or another they don't link directly to those organisations, but if you have the name, you should be able to find out the rest.

looperhacks 8y ago

This. Registering is very easy, at least in Germany. I did it because I stumbled upon an event that did a mass registration, but you can also request a kit that contains everything you need to register. Just send the cotton swab (?) back, it's easy and no pain involved. Please look up whether there's an organization near you that offers services like this.

pluma 8y ago
I registered online with DKMS. They send you the kit, you send back the swab in the pre-stamped envelope, it's really that simple.

Oras 8y ago

Good shout! I've done it a few weeks ago and its quite straightforward process.

Bouncingsoul1 8y ago
Can confirm, painless and without any side effects

Balgair 8y ago

Though I have not personally donated, I have been swabbed in the US via the BeTheMatch organization [0] and I know people who have donated. The swabbing process is very easy and free. However, donation is not as easy as with blood. The process covers a few weeks, typically a flight and overnight stay before donation, and then the process itself which can be difficult at times. One key thing that I discovered is that you do not ever meet your match and there are strict rules against this (due to prior events with racism, sexism, religious issues, etc). Bone marrow donation is not an easy thing. However, it is a heroic thing. You are very personally and quite literally, saving someone's life that you will likely never meet (what a world we live in!). With blood donation, it's a bit less connected, at least here in the US. They tell you that you are saving up to 3 people's lives. But outside of the donation station, you never really think about it again or hear from anyone about it. With marrow donation, you, and only you, are the reason that another real person is alive [1]. It's much more, well, intimate(?) than with blood donation. Also, as HN tends to be a bit more on the paranoid side, I checked and they do NOT store any genetic information about you. Only the lymphocyte tests are stored via HIPAA compliance and are deleted when you decide to go off the registry. It seems that they are not very shady, so to speak, and really are trying to save lives and nothing else. Please, if you are able, consider becoming a donor today. Be an honest-to-God, real, actual Hero today. [0] https://bethematch.org/ https://bethematch.org/ [1] Not to discount all the staff, nurses, doctors, researchers, financial donors, etc.