MY CHARITY - DKMS
DKMS
I’m rowing solo across the Atlantic for DKMS, which holds stem cell donor registers across the world. DKMS is dedicated to giving people with blood cancers and blood disorders a second chance at life.
DKMS is an international charity that offers second chances at life for people with blood cancers and disorders worldwide by encouraging more people to join the stem cell donor register. Its mission is to ensure everyone who needs a stem cell transplant has equal access to one.
I chose DKMS as the charity partner for my solo Atlantic row because I’ve seen first hand how critical stem cell donors are. My friends’ daughter, Margot Martini, was just a baby when she was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer. Her only hope was finding a matching donor. Meeting the Martinis changed me. No one should die because a match can’t be found. By signing up more people as potential stem cell donors, DKMS gives hope to more patients. If my row inspires even one person to sign up and save a life, every single mile I row will be worth it.
Why Stem Cell Donors Are Needed - and How You Can Save a Life
DKMS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging more people to join the stem cell register, working to ensure everyone who needs a stem cell transplant has equal access to one, and conducted research on continually improving the survival and recovery rate of people with blood cancers or blood disorders.
For many patients with blood cancer or a blood disorder, a stem cell transplant is their only chance of survival, but finding a compatible match can be incredibly difficult.
Finding a stem cell donor match is tough because it requires a close genetic match based on HLA tissue types, which are inherited and vary widely across populations. Matches are most likely within the same ethnic group, but minority communities are underrepresented in the donor registries, making it harder for patients from those backgrounds to find a compatible donor.
Only about 30% of patients find a match within their family, leaving most reliant on unrelated donors from the register. With time often critical, every new donor signed up increases the chance of saving a life.
BE A LIFESAVER
A donation of £40, or the equivalent in euros or dollars, allows DKMS to register a new potential stem cell donor and potential lifesaver. Every swab kit DKMS sends out could lead to a matching donor being found for someone needing a stem cell transplant, and every match could save a life.
Here’s how you can make a difference:
Sponsor the journey: Help me cover the costs of this epic challenge and get me to the start line.
Donate to DKMS: Your contribution helps fund lifesaving work. Remember: It costs just £40 / 45 euros to pay for a swab test kit to be sent to a potential donor and processed to get that person on the Stem Cell register!
Join the stem cell register: It takes just minutes to request a swab kit. Imagine, you could be the match that saves someone’s life.