Blood cancers and blood disorders are very prominent life-threatening conditions in the US. Every 3 minutes someone in the US is diagnosed with a form of blood malignancy. Every 9 minutes, it takes a life. It kills more children than any other disease. Often times, bone marrow/stem cell transplant is the best treatment option for such patients. DKMS inspires people to register by celebrating how donors can save lives and by dispelling the myths surrounding the donation process. A bone marrow or stem cell transplant can be a lifesaving treatment for a patient suffering from blood cancer or another blood disorder. Only 30% of patients find a compatible donor within their family. The rest must turn to the national registry. Each year, this amounts to more than 15,000 patients in the US needing transplants from perfect strangers. Less than half will receive one.
Patients seeking bone marrow transplants need donors who are a close genetic match. The best matches often occur between those who share the same ancestry. DKMS is focused on registering more people from diverse backgrounds so that patients from these underrepresented communities have a presence on the registry and, thus, a greater chance at finding their perfect match.
Through our efforts thus far, we have registered over 150,000 people in the state of Texas and over 400 have given second chances at life to blood cancer patients.
Our Needs
The global pandemic confronts us as an organization with enormous challenges in the fight against blood cancer. While our day-to-day certainly looks much differently than it did just a few short months ago, certain truths still hold. Blood cancer patients all over the country continue to search for their perfect match - their second chance at life. They depend on ordinary people taking on the selfless act of donating their stem cells and bone marrow to complete strangers.
Those who depend on us cannot wait for "normalcy" to arrive. That is why DKMS has shifted from in-person registration drives to registering donors virtually, working with collection centers to facilitate bone marrow donations with limited travel on donors, and have developed transportation logistics that utilize cargo planes to circumvent the need for couriers and keep bone marrow and stem cells arriving on time to their destinations.
We are so thankful for the donors who have continued to answer the call during these difficult times. Since March 9th, when our organization transferred to a work from home set-up, DKMS US has facilitated 172 lifesaving stem cell collections across 28 different states. We are very proud of the continued innovation from our staff, collection centers and bone marrow and stem cell donors that have made this possible.
It is imperative to raise critical funds to register potential donors. It costs DKMS $45 to register a new potential lifesaving donor. As a non-government funded organization, DKMS relies solely on contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations to cover these costs and keep registration free for all who are willing to save a life.
Funding from North Texas Giving Day will help us bridge the gap between these uncertain times and the future impact of DKMS US. The patients we serve deserve the best treatment available, which is growing increasingly more challenging to offer in the current climate.