Save the life of a stranger

The Stem Cell Registry is used to find a suitable voluntary stem cell donor for severely ill patients. The Stem Cell Registry currently consists of 65,000 voluntary donors. Over the course of a year, approximately 40 of them will get the chance to save a human life. Donors are chosen based on tissue type.

To join the Stem Cell Registry, you need to be 18–35 years old and in good overall health. When you join, you undergo an examination to establish your tissue type. That information is then stored in the registry. When a donor is needed, the registry’s information is used to find the member with the best tissue type match for the patient. Joining the registry does not necessarily mean you will get the chance to donate stem cells.

There are two ways to donate stem cells: from circulating blood and from the bone marrow of your hip bone. The stem cell donation process is safe.

Stem cell donors are not rewarded for their donation, but all expenses related to the process are reimbursed.

Joni, who donated stem cells when he was 23, describes the experience as follows: “The best thing I’ve done in my life. I would absolutely take the opportunity to donate again.”