World Bone Marrow and Umbilical Cord Donor Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in September, a date promoted by the World Bone Marrow Donor Registry (BMDW).
This international registry brings together data from all bone marrow and cord blood donors worldwide.
Goals of this celebration
The purpose of this date is to thank all donors in the world for their solidarity, be they relatives, unrelated donors, umbilical cord donors, donors who have already made their donation and registered donors who will be in the future.
It is also about making the world population aware of the importance of stem cell donation.
This celebration continues the work of the European Bone Marrow Donor Day, an event promoted in 2013 by the Southern Transplant Alliance, made up of Spain, France and Italy, which is celebrated on 27 September.
Currently, more than 28 million people worldwide are already bone marrow donors, plus the more than 650,000 umbilical cord blood (UCS) cords stored worldwide.
Requirements for being a bone marrow donor
To be a bone marrow donor you must meet certain requirements, including:
Be between 18 and 55 years old.
Being in good health, i.e. not suffering from any disease that can be transmitted to the recipient or that could endanger the life of the donor by donating.
You cannot donate marrow for a specific patient, but for any compatible person who needs it, regardless of where they live. The donation is international.
Being a bone marrow donor means making a lifelong commitment.
Conditions that may require a bone marrow transplant
Acute leukemia is the most common childhood cancer. It represents 30% of pediatric blood-oncological diseases. And a bone marrow transplant can save lives.
Lymphoma and multiple myeloma are other diseases that can benefit from a bone marrow transplant.
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