World Marrow Donor Day - WMDD

13/10/2026

There are thousands of professionals and organisations working together to give patients the best chance at accessing a stem cell transplant.

During the Journey of Hope, we wanted to shine a light on these dedicated and compassionate individuals and organisations.

Why? Firstly, because they thoroughly deserve our thanks for the lifesaving work that they are doing. Secondly, because many people have no idea of the work that goes into getting a patient to the point that a stem cell transplant is possible.

Hope Heroes such as the Search Coordinators within Gift of Life Marrow Registry's Donor Services Department. They help facilitate HLA matching and supports registry members when they are identified as potential donors. From providing education and coordinating additional testing to guiding donors through workup, collection and recovery, Donor Services helps move each lifesaving donation forward.

We thank the Donor Service Departments throughout the world for the amazing work that they do every day.

The countdown to continues!

Today’s Journey of Hope focus is matching, and we’re recognizing the Search Coordinators within Gift of Life’s Donor Services Department. 🧡

In support of our mission to through cellular therapy, this team helps facilitate HLA matching and supports registry members when they are identified as potential donors. From providing education and coordinating additional testing to guiding donors through workup, collection and recovery, Donor Services helps move each lifesaving donation forward.

Thank you to these Hope Heroes for helping give patients hope for a second chance at life!

World Marrow Donor Day - WMDD

08/10/2026

During the Journey of Hope, the Gift of Life Marrow Registry shared a very special occasion. A patient meeting their donor.

After Jose was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, Makenzie was found to be his matching donor. She travelled from college in St. Louis to Gift of Life in Boca Raton to donate her stem cells, giving a complete stranger a second chance at life.

Every time someone registers as a stem cell donor, they make the chance of a meeting like this possible. Every stem cell donor gives hope.

Thank you Gift of Life Marrow Registry for making such special moments possible.

06/10/2026

Three weeks ago, we kicked off the countdown to World Marrow Donor Day with our Journey of Hope campaign.

The response has been incredible. Many of you told us how much you enjoyed following the journey and how it helped you better understand everything that happens behind the scenes to find a matching donor and deliver lifesaving stem cells to a patient.

When we hear the words "a donor was found," it can sound simple. But as the Journey of Hope has shown, a successful stem cell transplant is only possible thanks to the dedication of countless Hope Heroes working together every step of the way.

Across the globe, registries shone a spotlight on their teams and the many specialised services involved in making each transplant possible.

Over the coming days, we'll be sharing the Journey of Hope created by the Gift of Life Marrow Registry.

Gift of Life's mission is to cure blood cancer through cellular therapy. They believe every person battling blood cancer deserves a second chance at life and are committed to making that vision a reality.

Thanks to their unwavering support, the Journey of Hope and World Marrow Donor Day are possible.

💙Together, we're giving more patients hope for a second chance at life.🧡

World Marrow Donor Day is officially one week away! 🧡

Today marks the beginning of Journey of Hope, a global, week-long campaign honoring the people and organizations that make stem cell transplants possible. Each day, we’ll recognize a different category of Hope Heroes and the important role they play in giving patients hope for a second chance at life.

On , we’re beginning with the dedicated team at the Adelson Gift of Life-NMDP Stem Cell Collection Center. From welcoming donors on collection day to supporting them throughout the process, our staff ensure every donor feels comfortable, informed and celebrated.

Thank you to our collection center Hope Heroes for helping make lifesaving stem cell donations possible!

World Marrow Donor Day - WMDD

25/09/2026

We’re incredibly grateful for the many people and organisations who have helped raise awareness throughout the Journey of Hope and World Marrow Donor Day.

Many of our followers found the information shared particularly insightful, especially the facts and statistics drawn from the Global Trends Report (GTR).

One question we received was: What are ADCUs?

Luckily, our Platinum Partner, the DKMS Group, who is also the Partner of the Global Trends Report (GTR), can answer that for you.

ADCUs are a new way to give patients hope, faster and when they need it most.

In 2024, the DKMS Stem Cell Bank became the first organization in the world to make cryopreserved blood stem cells available for patients in need of an allogeneic transplant. 🌍❄️

Adult Donor Cryopreserved Units (ADCUs) are collected as surplus during a directed donation and made available globally for non-directed allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Having these cells readily available provides crucial advantages:

🧪 Pre-screened donor material – preliminary examination is already done.

✅ Immediate accessibility – cells are available in just a few days in proven quality.

🔜 Faster transplantation – reducing waiting times for patients.

From a single collection, two stem cell grafts were obtained. One fresh directed transplant and one non-directed ADCU. In this way, two second chances at life can be given with one donation.

👇 Learn more about the DKMS Stem Cell Bank through the link in the comments!

24/09/2026

As the Journey of Hope 2026 comes to an end, it doesn't feel like an ending at all. In many ways, it feels like a beginning.

Over the past week, we've seen incredible support from around the world, with communities coming together and thousands of new blood stem cell donors joining the global effort to give patients hope.

Let's keep that momentum going. Keep following, sharing, and raising awareness, because every week more than 22,000 people hear the words, "You have blood cancer." At the same time, our global community helps more than 2,600 patients each week receive a second chance at life through a stem cell transplant.

But there is still a gap to close. With your support, we can help ensure that more patients find their match and get the transplant they need.

A heartfelt thank you to all our partners for supporting World Marrow Donor Day, standing alongside the WMDA community, raising awareness worldwide, and providing WMDD grants that help reduce inequality in access to transplantation. Thank you DKMS Group, Sanofi, NMDP, Gift of Life Marrow Registry, Appfire, Ossium Health and NecstGen.

Together, we are creating more second chances, more hope, and more lives saved.

23/09/2026

As we focus on life after transplant, it's important to talk about Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD), a serious and sometimes life-threatening complication that can affect up to 1 in 2 transplant patients.

We encourage all patients and their families to visit the GVHD Alliance pages for support and resources: https://www.gvhdalliance.org/resources/

One of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of GVHD is to find the best possible donor match. The closer the match between a patient's and donor's Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) types, the lower the risk of complications.

That's why WMDA works globally to:

✅ Reduce the time it takes for patients to receive a transplant

✅ Optimise donor selection and improve match quality

✅ Strengthen international standards to improve both donor and patient care

Research also shows that, after HLA matching, donor age is one of the most important factors influencing transplant outcomes, with younger donors often associated with better patient survival.

There are currently 44 million registered voluntary stem cell donors worldwide, of which 38% are younger than 35.

Every new donor increases the chances of finding a match. Every improvement in donor selection helps reduce risk. Every action brings more hope to patients waiting for a transplant.

23/09/2026

As we come to the final day of our Journey of Hope, we focus on what happens after the transplant.

As we've seen throughout this journey, it takes an incredible effort from donors, healthcare professionals, registries, families, and supporters to get a patient to transplant. But the journey does not end there.

For many patients, recovery brings new challenges. They may need to isolate while their immune system rebuilds, repeat childhood vaccinations, attend regular medical appointments, and learn to adapt to a new normal. Their bodies have been through so much, and the road to recovery can be long and unpredictable.

Thanks to the support of our Platinum Partner, Sanofi, today we're shining a light on life after transplant and the strength, resilience, and determination of patients and their families.

We invite transplant recipients, caregivers, and loved ones to share their stories.

What helped you most after transplant? Where did you find support? Your experiences could provide hope, comfort, and guidance to others beginning their own recovery journey.

Together, let's celebrate every step forward and the hope that continues long after transplant.

22/09/2026

Happy World Marrow Donor Day!

To give every patient a chance of finding a life-saving stem cell donor, we need registered donors from as many countries, communities, and ethnic backgrounds as possible.

While remarkable progress has been made, there is still much work to do as we strive for a world where access to life-saving cellular therapies for all patients is assured and donors’ rights and safety are protected​.

Today, we are especially grateful to our World Marrow Donor Day partners; DKMS Group, Sanofi, NMDP, Gift of Life Marrow Registry, Appfire, Ossium Health and NecstGen. Their support goes far beyond raising awareness. Through the World Marrow Donor Day grants and collaboration, together we help healthcare professionals and organisations build donor recruitment programmes and strengthen transplant systems in countries that do not yet have a donor registry.

Together, we are helping to create new opportunities for patients who currently have limited access to a matching donor. And with continued support, we hope that one day every patient, no matter where they live, will have the chance to find the donor they need.

Because every new donor, every new registry, and every act of support brings us one step closer to giving more patients a second chance at life.

22/09/2026

Happy World Marrow Donor Day!

If you are one of the 46 million voluntary stem cell donors registered around the world, today we want to say thank you.

Thank you for being ready to help when a patient needs you most. Whether you joined the registry last year or 20 years ago, your commitment gives hope to patients searching for a life-saving match.

Sadly, sometimes when a match is identified, the donor is not always able to be contacted or is unable to donate. As a community, we are working hard to ensure that when a match is identified, a donor is ready and able to say Yes.

Today is also a good moment to ask yourself: could your registry still reach you if you were needed? A new phone number, email address, or home address could make all the difference.

Take a few minutes today to check that your contact details are up to date. One small action could help save a life tomorrow.

22/09/2026

It's World Marrow Donor Day!

Today, we celebrate the extraordinary people who choose to give hope by registering as stem cell donors.

Around the world, more than 46 million people have signed up and are willing to donate. 44 million donors are listed on the global database, ready to help strangers from all around the world.

It sounds like a lot, but it represents less than 0.5% of the world's population. In other words, only 1 in 200 people is registered as a stem cell donor.

We can change that!

Today, wherever you are, waiting for the bus, riding the lift, sitting in a classroom, or chatting over coffee, start a conversation about stem cell donation. Tell someone that joining the registry can be as simple as a cheek swab or blood test, and that one small action could one day give a patient a second chance at life.

Find your local registry here: https://wmda.info/find-your-registry/

Because every donor registered is another reason for hope.