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«My name is Matylda. I am seven years old. I would like you to meet my dad – Robert. He is now very ill with leukemia »- this is how a unique spot prepared by Matylda begins. In this way, the girl, together with the DKMS Foundation, promoted the #TataMaRaka campaign, which was to encourage people to register as a potential bone marrow donor for the girl’s father. Just before Christmas, the Foundation announced that it had managed to find a genetic twin for Mr. Robert.
- Matylda is seven years old and has a dad with leukemia. The only chance for the girl’s father to win with the disease is a bone marrow transplant
- To find the right donor with the help of my father’s friends and the DKMS Foundation, Matylda organized the Great Drooling Sticks Action. It allowed anyone to register as a potential donor
- The DKMS Foundation data shows that we have over a million potential donors in Poland. Unfortunately, it is still not enough to help all the sick
Mr. Robert is 50 years old and is a family doctor in Krakow. He found out that he had cancer – acute myeloid leukemia – at the end of October. The doctors almost immediately decided that the only thing that could help him is a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, the patient’s condition was so serious that it was necessary to hurry. According to specialists, the entire procedure should not take more than three months. But there was no suitable donor for Mr. Robert at the base.
Then Matylda, seven-year-old daughter of Mr. Robert, became involved in the case. The girl, with the help of her father’s friends, organized the #TataMaRaka campaign. Together, they set up a website. In addition to information about Mr. Robert and his illness, you can find information on how to become a bone marrow donor, who can become a bone marrow donor and what the procedure really looks like. Additionally, there was also a spot. All of this was to help find a genetic twin for Mr. Robert. The resolute seven-year-old encouraged everyone to register as a potential donor, but also tries to tame the fear that often paralyzes people and makes them refuse to become bone marrow donors.
Great Action of Drooling Sticks
However, the site and the spot did not end there. Thanks to the help of the DKMS Foundation, at the beginning of December, we managed to organize the Great Patyczków Drooling Action in several shopping centers in Krakow. Anyone willing could “lick” a special stick these days and register in the database. A person who is at least 18 years of age can become a donor. In addition, the candidate must not be HIV positive, suffer from hemophilia or cancer. Some skin diseases and infections are also disqualified.
The commitment and determination of Matilda and her dad’s friends paid off. Just before Christmas, the DKMS Foundation announced that it was possible to find the so-called genetic twin (that is, a person whose histocompatibility antigens are the same as our own) for Mr. Robert.
Although, according to the DMKS Foundation, the donor for Mr. Robert got to the base much earlier, thanks to the campaign many new, potential donors were registered.
The medicine you have in you
A bone marrow transplant is often a necessary form of treatment for many types of leukemia. Although it is the least invasive of all transplants, there are many myths surrounding this procedure that prevent potential donors from reporting so readily. There are situations when the donor gives up almost at the last moment because he is afraid of pain and complications after the procedure. Meanwhile, bone marrow collection is painless and safe.
So where does the belief that bone marrow harvesting equates to pain come from? Large syringes are used to collect stem cells from the hip bone, and this is immediately associated with pain. We forget, however, that with a simple injection, we are not anesthetized, while anesthesia is always administered before inserting the collection needle. The collection is often performed under anesthesia, which completely excludes any discomfort during the procedure. After the collection, the patient may feel a tenderness of the site for several days, but it is not severe pain.
Usually, during the procedure, two doctors perform punctures at the same time, which significantly reduces the time of the procedure. Efficient specialists complete it in about 90 minutes, but sometimes the download may take up to two hours. Depending on the patient’s posture and the recipient’s needs (children require less bone marrow), 1000 to 1500 ml of bone marrow are collected.
Such a procedure is used only in 20%. cases. Increasingly (in 80% of cases) bone marrow stem cells are taken from the peripheral blood. The procedure is similar to classic blood sampling, but it takes much longer. It takes up to four hours to get the right amount of raw material. The procedure does not require hospitalization, but sometimes it has to be repeated the next day.
Every fifth patient does not have a genetic twin
It is estimated that there are approximately 30 million potential bone marrow donors registered in the world, and there are over a million of them in Poland. Unfortunately, it is still a drop in the ocean of needs. Our genotype is extremely diverse, so the chances of finding a “genetic twin” are very low. The probability is 1: 20, and in the case of a rare genotype, as much as 000 to several million. Only 1 percent. the sick finds a donor among their loved ones. Others are forced to look for an unrelated donor. The more potential donors there are, the greater the chance that the search will be successful. When it is successful, the Bone Marrow Donor Center, where it is registered, contacts the person and coordinates all activities aimed at donating hematopoietic stem cells and the collection procedure itself. The donor is also cared for after donating the cells – he has, inter alia, control tests are provided, and his health is monitored for 25 years after collection.