World Marrow Donor Day – September 16th
Every third Saturday of September, the World Marrow Donor Association hosts World Marrow Donor Day, created in September 2014. This international event sheds light on the WMDA, the importance of registering as a stem cell donor, and the impact of blood stem cell transplantation on patients’ lives.
According to WMDA, three pioneers in the field of transplantation, John Goldman, E. Donnall Thomas, and Jon J. Van Rood, informally initiated the association in 1988. This eventually led to the foundation of WMDA in 1994. Although WMDD primarily targets the general public, WMDD also seeks to raise awareness among policymakers and industry representatives. And it seeks to connect with anyone with a genuine interest in blood stem cell donation and transplantation.
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Be The Match
One of WMDA’s biggest nonprofit partners, Be The Match, specializes in matching donors to those desperately needing bone marrow. These patients suffer from blood cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other life-threatening diseases. According to its website, the nonprofit currently provides patients with over 41 million donors ready to donate marrow and/or blood stem cells. They have facilitated over 120,000 transplants since 1987.
Be The Match was created out of the love for a child. When Robert and Sherry Graves’ 10-year-old daughter, Laura, was diagnosed with leukemia, they were desperate to save her life. They turned towards alternative treatments and agreed to try the first-ever bone marrow transplant, which ended up saving Laura’s life. According to their website, they were inspired to give other families the same hope for a cure. With the help of other patients’ families, doctors, congressional support, and funding from the U.S. Navy, a national registry of volunteers willing to donate bone marrow was born.
For those interested in becoming a donor, Be The Match has a very simple process: register online, order a test kit, swap your cheek, get matched, and donate. Although straightforward, the process can take several months or years due to the “genetic complexity of matching donors to patients.” The website also answers any common questions or concerns about donation and offers some peace of mind about the process.
Interested in donating marrow or celebrating this day? Check out the sites linked in the article or search the tags #WMDD23 and #GlobalDonoDrive on social media.
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