You can check your eligibility and start your online registration below. Due to the current situation, the donor drives and registration events will remain on hold for the foreseeable future since holding such events would place an unnecessary risk on everyone involved in and attending the event. The goal of Watch this video to learn how Madison dedicated her time to save a strangers life. Additionally, donors receive an information sheet and are asked to actively and immediately inform their Case Manager or the collection center if necessary. DKMS Life Science Lab conducts more than 60,000 HLA tissue typings (Loci) of stem cell donors for DKMS every month. Please also understand that any planned collection may be postponed or cancelled "It was through an acquaintance of mine that I became aware of it (becoming a courier) several years ago,” Maria said. We raise funds to increase both the size and diversity of the worldwide pool of available stem cell donors. As When Mechtild Harf was told that the only treatment for her leukemia was a bone marrow transplant, she had no matching family members. Our organization is dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders by: creating awareness, recruiting bone marrow donors to provide a second chance at life, raising funds to match donor registration costs, and supporting the improvement of blood cancer therapies by our own research.

DKMS has been registering potential stem cell donors since 1991. DKMS will cover the costs for your assessment, testing and/or treatment of your illness if you acquire COVID-19 or any other infection as a result of travel for donation. This is why DKMS continues to encourage everyone that is able to, to register as a blood stem cell donor. DKMS does not test potential donors who register with us for the COVID-19 virus. Registration as a potential stem cell donor is easy. Together, we obtained special permits for stem cell couriers from Germany countries we are in regular and close contact with all parties involved in the transport,

Maria Schmiing is a DKMS employee and has also been a volunteer stem cell courier for about two years. In addition, these measures will help protect the health of our team members to enable them to continue to provide care to non-COVID-19 patients. Due to the travel restrictions imposed by many

Anyone between the ages of 18-55 and in general good health can become a potential blood stem cell donor. Motivated by the fate of their wife and mother, by 1995 Katharina and Peter had helped build DKMS into the world’s largest stem cell donor register and ever since we have worked tirelessly to fulfill our mission – to provide as many blood cancer patients as possible with a second chance at life. After your donation, your cells will be sent to your recipient’s transplant center. Since then Peter and his daughter Katharina Harf, the Vice Chairwoman of the DKMS Foundation Board, have kept that promise. Because travel and logistics recommendations are changing rapidly, the Nation Marrow Donor registry is recommending that transplant centers consider cryopreserving all donation. There are several thousand different combinations of HLA characteristics, some of which are extremely rare. Health experts have confirmed that there is currently no evidence that the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted via blood, bone marrow, or stem cell products. If this shows that the donor could potentially be infected with COVID-19, a test for the COVID-19 virus will be carried out. All expenses will be covered and DKMS is there to help every step of the way. It takes about 4-8 hours on 1-2 consecutive days. circumstances of all of our donors who are asked to donate their bone marrow and We strictly follow the CDC guidelines when arranging your travels. Die DKMS ist vom Finanzamt als gemeinnützige Organisation anerkannt und von der Gewerbe- und Körperschaftssteuer befreit … Every important detail is marked and addressed." the employees in the collection center. It helps transplant centers avoid any issues that could occur if you are unable to donate on the prearranged date. (NMDP). Please remember, if you have already done your swabs then please only send them back once it is safe to do so. The health and safety of our donors is our number one priority and we will As a results, transplant centers are exploring other stem cell sources such as cord blood and haplo-transplant. Registering for the chance to save a life is exciting, but before you begin, please be sure you haven’t registered before with another donor center.

your sample and HLA characteristics that is required for us to add you to the register, In July 2018, Marley was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia and doctors say his best chance of "My learning from this journey: I will take an emergency ration of trail mix with me, you never know," she says with a wink. Cookie settings.

You could be eligible to register on our international offices: Members of the military can register with The C.W. possible for our donors. survival is to have a bone marrow transplant. Afterwards Maria could start her journey. Despite these numbers some people in need still won’t find their lifesaving match, so we are urging people to take action and go on standby to save a life. Pre-registration is possible from the age of 17. We encourage everyone who is able to, to register online and order a swab kit at www.dkms.org. however we are currently waiting 7 days until we do this to ensure the protection of These blood cells, which can no longer carry out normal cell functions and no longer die a natural death, are known as cancer cells. If you are found to be a potential match for someone in need of a stem cell donation, this will be confirmed using a blood sample. The majority of blood stem cell collections from DKMS donors travel across borders to patients in other countries. History of heart surgery or heart disease, Autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia, Sleep apnea, breathing problems or severe asthma (daily inhalers are acceptable), Chronic or severe neck, spine or back problems, Epilepsy or other seizure within one year, History of blood clotting or bleeding disorders, History of head injury or multiple concussions, Personal history of cancer (exceptions: Stage 0 or in situ melanoma, breast, bladder, cervical and cured localized skin cancer such as basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma), We have more than 9.9 million registered donors. To become a potential blood stem cell donor is simple. "This must be presented upon entry and exit." Unfortunately it is not possible to register as a blood stem cell donor for anyone who is under ordered quarantine.


Transplant centers are reassessing treatment timeframes for all patients as a way to mitigate the heightened risk of infection.

A donor’s risk contracting COVID-19 or other infections is no greater than other adults in their age range. This is the only time we hand the suitcase over to somebody else. Over 1 million potential stem cell donors are typed each year. DKMS performs and supports research projects and quality programs on an international level, in order to optimize our work and improve the outcome for those in need of a stem cell donation. Health experts have confirmed that there is currently no evidence that the novel A few days ago, she took a transplant from Germany to the United States - a particularly difficult challenge in times of the Corona crisis. This substance, which the body normally releases during an infection, ensures that an increased number "Most important are the blood stem cells or the bone marrow. In addition to this, they took the temperature of all passengers”. As with every organization across the world, DKMS faces challenges caused by “She is a teacher and carries out stem cell transports during the school holidays - I was immediately enthusiastic about it and signed up for it," says Maria Schmiing from Cologne. All donors will have a risk history check before entering the collection center. Host a drive to help us register potential marrow donors. Our medical partners are all taking extraordinary precautions to protect staff and patients. Concentra has implemented strict cleaning regimens that include frequent disinfection of door handles and other hard surfaces to help reduce and mitigate possible contamination.

will take place as soon as possible. We need more lifesavers. The need for a bone marrow transplant for Heston is becoming more urgent, and there are no current matches for him. 75% of all of our life-saving blood stem cell collections from DKMS donors travel across borders to patients in other countries. Walk-in patients can also participate in the program by signing in at the LabCorp Express tablet and providing their cell phone number.
Hand sanitizer is available and frequent hand washing is encouraged. The C.W.

We kindly ask for your understanding and will keep you informed about any new developments.

implemented screening for the COVID-19 virus risks before entry to any collection There she received the life-saving blood stem cells from specially trained staff. Please remember that the swab kits are fine to use for approximately two years, so while we normally ask you to please return them as soon as possible, due to the current circumstances, please only do this when it is safe you for to do so.

We remain committed to our mission of providing as many second chances at life as possible to blood cancer and blood disorder patients around the world.