More than 205,400 Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot volunteer bone marrow donors are currently registered with the Cyprus based Karaiskakio Foundation, while more than 1,000 donors from the registry have so far donated a transplant to patients in 36 countries, contributing to efforts to save the lives of people in need of a transplant.
The Karaiskakio Foundation announced the figures as September 22 marks the World Marrow Donor Day, under the theme “Heroes of Hope.”
The Cyprus registry is the world’s largest in proportion to population, the Foundation said, adding that it forms an important part of the international network through which compatible donors are sought for patients in Cyprus and abroad.
However, the Foundation stressed that the continued renewal and expansion of the registry remains necessary, as the genetic diversity of the Cypriot population and demographic developments affect the chances of finding a compatible unrelated donor.
The registration of new volunteers is therefore crucial, it added, in order to increase the chances of every patient finding a compatible donor.
The Foundation said in a press release that the day is dedicated to volunteer donors who register with donor registries and, when identified as a match, donate haematopoietic stem cells, giving patients with serious blood disorders a chance at life.
The Karaiskakio Foundation is participating in the 12th global WMDD celebration, honouring donors who have already donated a transplant as well as all those registered as volunteers with national donor registries.
The World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA), which represents more than 44 million volunteer donors in 60 countries, is highlighting through this year’s campaign the crucial role of volunteer donors and the importance of international cooperation in identifying compatible donors.
According to the WMDA, more than 70,000 patients each year search for a compatible donor outside their family, while around half of patients who eventually find a compatible volunteer donor find their donor in another country.
The World Marrow Donor Day was established in 2015 and since then donor registries, transplant centres, patients, volunteers and supporters around the world have organised annual activities to raise public awareness and highlight the importance of haematopoietic stem cell donation.
The Karaiskakio Foundation has been a member of the WMDA since 2000 and received the organisation’s accreditation in 2008, becoming one of the first donor registries worldwide to receive the accreditation, according to the Foundation.
The Karaiskakio Foundation has designated September as “Leukaemia Month”, organising a series of awareness-raising activities focusing on leukaemia and bone marrow donation.
On the occasion of the World Marrow Donor Day, the Foundation has called on the public to take part in the global social media campaign by sharing stories of courage, recovery and generosity and using the hashtags #thankyoudonor, #WMDD26 and #HopeHero.