Want To Donate?

Any donations for Danaé are very much appreciated and your contribution means that we can HELP GIVE HER A BETTER FUTURE!

Join a donor register
To offer all patients the best chances of a successful transplant, our Register needs :

• many more donors from all ethnic backgrounds
• as many committed healthy people as possible, especially young men

A Register is very different from a blood-bank.
The lifesaving work depends on finding a ‘match’ for patients – finding a donor whose tissue-type is compatible with the patient.
It’s not a question of quantity, but diversity - which means that anyone can make a difference.
Theoretically anyone could be the match for one of the thousands of patients currently waiting for a transplant. In fact, you might be the only person in the world with compatible tissue-type for a patient with a life-threatening illness.
It’s like having the winning lottery ticket – but you can’t claim it for yourself. It’s the ultimate gift.
As one bone marrow donor said : ‘For me, it wasn’t that big a deal. Nothing compared to what the patient's going through.’

Most donors are surprised how straight forward it really is.

Why join a donor register?
We need you.
By joining a bone marrow Register, you will extend our ability to help save lives.
A register looks for compatible donors for patients, with a variety of conditions. How  ever many volunteer donors a register has, it is not large enough. Some searches for matching donors will be successful; others will not. In order to increase the chance of success, the more people who join a Register, the better.
Many people have been on the Register for years without ever donating. There’s no guarantee your tissue type will be compatible.
But it might be.
Registers need more men aged 18 to 40 and people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds to join the bone marrow register. 

Why do people need bone marrow transplants?
Bone marrow, found in the centre of all large bones, is where new primitive blood cells, known as blood stem cells, are produced. Blood stem cells develop into mature blood cells: white cells (needed to fight infection), red cells (needed to carry oxygen to and remove waste from organs and tissues) and platelets (which are needed to stop bleeding).

Why are transplants necessary?
The word transplant suggests the image of a major organ transplant, but bone marrow transplants are very different. Bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells are both removed by needle - and received intravenously.
The objective of a transplant is to restore the bone marrow’s ability to produce healthy blood cells - to carry oxygen, prevent bleeding and fight off infection.
Some illnesses directly attack the red blood cells. In others, the chemotherapy used to destroy the proliferating cancer cells also destroys the patient’s bone marrow.
For both cases, the transplanted cells – from the bone marrow or the peripheral blood from a volunteer donor - have the potential to restore the bone marrow’s lifesaving ability.
The Danae Foundation is searching for compatible donors on behalf of Danae, however, there are thousands of newly diagnosed patients each year. We are looking for donors world-wide, so donate in your country and it will increase Danae’s chances and other people in the same situation as her.
Most people who’ve donated say it’s a humbling experience, to know you can help so easily. It simply isn’t a huge operation.

FAQ  

If I join a Register will I definitely be asked to donate?
The majority of people on the register do not go on to become a donor. You are only called on to donate if you have a similar tissue-type to a specific patient in need of a bone marrow transplant.
However, each and every individual on the Register could be called upon to donate at any time over a period of many years.

Could a recipient be anywhere in the world?
Yes, a donor could be giving the chance of life to a patient thousands of miles away or to someone just down the road. Whether near or far, you can be sure the person on the receiving end needs your help.

Do overseas donors help patients?
Yes, for all patients the charity you register with  is responsible for undertaking a worldwide search to find the most suitable donor. By working with similar international registers a search can be made of more than ten million donors held on over 5O registers across the world.

Does it cost anything to join a Register?
No, it is free to join the Bone Marrow Register in some countries.  Some trusts or charities will also reimburse any expenses your incur as a result of donating your bone marrow. These expenses include: travel expenses, accommodation, loss of earnings and any other out of pocket expenses. (But check in the country you are in there might be a minimal charge)

Do donor and recipient get to meet?

The majority of patients never meet. In some countries when two years have elapsed, it may be possible to arrange direct contact, but only on the initial instigation of the recipient. Some national policies of other Registers prohibit totally direct donor/recipient contact.

Can I specifically be tested for my friend?
It’s highly unlikely that two friends will share the same genetic profile. The best hope for any patient lies with the millions of potential donors who are already listed on bone marrow registries worldwide.

I have already been tested for a member of my family but now I would like to join a Register. How do I do this?
Contact  the Register in your country and ask for the necessary application form/medical questionnaire to be sent to you. Complete this and forward it together with a copy of your HLA tissue typing results, which you should be able to obtain from the hospital where the testing was done. Your medical questionnaire will be checked and if you are medically eligible to join the Register, your details will be added to a Register of unrelated donors.

Could I be a donor more than once? If so, how often?
After the first donation, the donor is asked if they would like to stay on the Register and donate again. Although unusual certain trusts or charities have had several donors who have donated three times. Current policy generally permits a volunteer to donate blood stem cells to no more than two patients and up to an overall maximum of four times.

What if I can’t join a register?
If you can’t join a register your help is still vital and there are a number of other ways in which you can help save lives. You can help by giving a financial donation or by getting involved in fundraising events. Alternatively, you could encourage others to join the register.

Why do I have to be over 18 to join a Register?
In order to undergo the donation procedure the volunteer donor has to give informed consent. As bone marrow donation is voluntary and not of direct benefit to the donor, a guardian/parent is not able to sign on behalf of a minor.

Why is there an upper age limit to join a register?
It is a priority for to recruit young donors as research has shown an improved outcome for bone marrow transplants if the donor is younger. If there is a choice of donor for a particular patient, the transplant centre will usually choose the youngest donor. Once you have joined the register you remain on it until you reach 60.

I am a gay man. Can I join the Register?
Your sexuality in itself does not preclude you from joining a Register. There are strict international regulations relating to donor selection by which Trusts and charities must abide. The regulations aim to minimise the risk of donors transmitting blood borne diseases to patients. Implementation of these regulations results in a number of people having to be excluded from donation.
Regulatory standards are extremely stringent regarding defined high-risk activities for HIV and other transmissible diseases. Studies have shown that men who have had sex with other men are at an increased risk for HIV/AIDS. To protect the recipients of donated bone marrow, a man who has had sex with another man is not allowed to donate bone marrow or join the bone marrow register.

Heterosexuals at risk of transmissible diseases are also excluded from giving bone marrow. Heterosexuals who have participated in activities that put them at an increased risk for transmissible diseases, or who have had sexual contact with an individual from a high-risk background, are also not acceptable as bone marrow donors.