**Cyprus Celebrates Over 200,000 Bone Marrow Donors on World Marrow Donor Day**
On September 22, the Karaiskakio Foundation announced that it has registered over 205,400 bone marrow donors, marking a significant milestone in its efforts to provide life-saving transplants. This announcement coincides with World Marrow Donor Day, an event that celebrates the invaluable contributions of volunteers who register as potential donors.
The Karaiskakio Foundation has played a crucial role in the global fight against serious hematological diseases, having facilitated more than 1,000 transplants to patients across 36 countries. This year’s World Marrow Donor Day theme, “Hope Heroes,” emphasizes the importance of these volunteers, who, when identified as compatible donors, can offer stem cells to patients in need.
In an effort to raise awareness and encourage participation, the foundation is inviting the public to join an international social media campaign. Participants are encouraged to share stories of courage, recovery, and generosity using the hashtags #thankyoudonor, #WMDD26, and #HopeHero. This initiative aims to highlight the critical role of bone marrow donors and the collaborative efforts required to find compatible transplants.
The World Marrow Donor Association, which represents over 44 million volunteer donors from 60 countries, underscores the importance of donor cooperation in identifying compatible matches. Each year, more than 70,000 patients seek compatible donors outside their families, with approximately half finding matches in other countries. The association's focus on donor awareness is vital, as it can significantly impact the success rates of transplants.
Since its establishment in 2000, the Karaiskakio Foundation has been an integral part of this global network. It achieved accreditation in 2008, becoming one of the first donor archives to do so. The foundation's archive is proportionally the largest in the world, reflecting the genetic diversity of the Cypriot population. However, the foundation emphasizes the need for continuous renewal and expansion of its donor registry to improve the chances of finding compatible unrelated donors, particularly given demographic changes.
The history of bone marrow transplants dates back to 1956, and since then, over a million patients worldwide have benefited from this life-saving procedure. Bone marrow transplants, specifically the transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells, are used to treat more than 70 different diseases, making the role of donors even more critical.
In addition to its efforts on World Marrow Donor Day, the Karaiskakio Foundation dedicates the entire month of September to raising awareness about leukemia. The foundation organizes various initiatives aimed at educating the public about the disease and the importance of bone marrow donation.
As Cyprus continues to strengthen its position in the global network of bone marrow donors, the Karaiskakio Foundation remains committed to enhancing its registry and promoting the life-saving potential of stem cell transplants. The foundation's achievements not only reflect the generosity of the Cypriot people but also contribute to the global fight against blood-related diseases.