Polish residents save lives through bone marrow donation

Thousands of residents from the Małopolska and Silesia regions of Poland have become successful bone marrow and stem cell donors through the DKMS Foundation.

In Małopolska, 1,690 individuals have transitioned from potential donors to actual donors, helping patients not only in Poland but also in countries such as the USA, Germany, France, the UK, Canada, and Australia. There are currently over 204,000 potential donors registered in the region.

In the Silesia region, 2,105 residents have become actual donors, supported by a registry of over 266,000 potential donors. These donations have assisted patients in Poland, the United States, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

The DKMS Foundation notes that approximately 90 percent of donations are performed by collecting hematopoietic stem cells from peripheral blood, while the remaining cases involve collection from the pelvic bone, countering common myths regarding spinal cord extraction.