Donating Life Is Catching On—Encouraging Willingness Among Our Students to Be Tested as Organ Donors

Of the 130 eligible students in attendance, 83 signed up. DKMS officials described the fact that nearly two-thirds of those present were willing to become stem cell donors as an exceptionally high rate and a major success in the fight against blood cancer. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated!

In collaboration with DKMS, the German Bone Marrow Donor Registry, Steinmühle hosted an information and typing event on Monday, May 11, 2015, for all students aged 17 and older. The event was part of the “Leben spenden macht Schule” series, through which the DKMS raises awareness about blood cancer in schools and recruits potential bone marrow donors.

The students first learned how bone marrow donations can save lives and why registration in a global donor database is necessary. Next, the process of typing and the two forms of stem cell donation were explained. The stories shared by donors Steffi and Konstantin drew particular attention. The two described how bone marrow was extracted from their hip bones under general anesthesia. This complex method—which, unlike a simpler, dialysis-like procedure, is used in only about 20% of cases—had been performed on Konstantin just five days earlier.

The “fresh” donor’s excellent physical condition and his joy at having saved a life certainly contributed to the success of the subsequent registration. The registration was conducted using a cotton swab to collect a buccal swab sample and was supported by volunteers (15 teachers, two students, and one parent). After the event, the tissue samples collected were sent to a laboratory, where they were analyzed and made available for the global donor search.