“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Jane Goodall
DKMS began with one family fighting to save someone they loved. The mother of Katharina Harf, now Vice Chairwoman of DKMS, was diagnosed with Leukaemia, her only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant. She had no matching family members and Katharina’s father, Peter Harf, was informed the chances of finding a successful donor were very low.
Peter worked relentlessly in search of a donor; successfully recruiting over 68,000 donors within 1 year. Despite this incredible effort he could not save his wife, Mechtild. Before Mechtild passed, she made Peter promise that he would not stop fighting until every patient had a matching donor and a potential second chance at life.
Peter and his daughter have kept that promise and now have 11 million donors. For them 11 million donors mean 11 million potential lifesavers.
The process of donating blood stem cells is usually similar to giving blood, yet there is a severe lack of potential South Asian Donors.
Asians are widely recognised for their predisposition to support others, so why when one small effort could potentially save a life are we trailing so far behind?
South Asian patients have just a 37% chance of finding a donor, compared to 71% for their European counterparts.
South Asian patients, many of them children, fail to find a matching donor and so are losing the battle to survive.
Let’s catch up with Reshna Radiven, Head of Communications and Engagement at DKMS, to talk about the shortage of South Asian blood stem cell donors.
“I have a personal connection with the cause as I have seen people from the Indian community fail to find a matching donor, and want to be able to play my part in reducing this.”
How many patients do you currently have waiting for a blood stem cell donor?
Reshna: There are currently 69,000 patients worldwide waiting for blood stem cell donors.
In the UK, every 20 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer which often requires a blood stem cell transplant. Finding a matching blood stem cell donor is like looking for a needle in a haystack, as the donor tissue characteristics must be a 100% match.
What are the chances of finding a blood stem cell donor for a South Asian patient compared to a European patient?
Reshna: If the patient is of South Asian heritage, then the chances of finding a donor are much lower. South Asian patients have just a 37% chance of finding a donor, compared to 71% for their European counterparts. This is due to the severe lack of South Asian donors!
Why do you think there is such a shortage of South Asian Donors?
Reshna: Lack of awareness and the fact that many are not aware that the process of donating blood stem cells is as simple as giving blood. Such a simple process could give someone a second chance at life and more time with their loved ones.
What is the process of registering as a blood stem cell donor?
Reshna: Once again, its minimal and easy, just head to the website, register your interest, answer a few questions and we’ll send your swab test through the post. When received, you take a swab from inside your cheek and post back to us.
That’s it – you’ve completed the registration process!
What are the chances of being a match once registered?
Reshna: Once registered you could help save the life of a South Asian in the UK or even anywhere in the world including India, Pakistan & Bangladesh. Unfortunately, to be successful the donor must be an exact match so the chances of this are very low, 1 in 10,000, maybe higher. So we cannot stress enough how important it is for us to have more South Asian donors come forward.
What would you say to anyone who is considering becoming a blood stem cell donor?
Reshna: Why wouldn’t you?
You have the chance to potentially save a life. A few moments of your time could give someone more time with their family and loved ones. It could give someone more time to make memories. It could give someone a second chance of life…
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