In Poland, someone is diagnosed every hour with a blood cancer, or leukemia. For many patients, a transplant of bone marrow from an unrelated donor is the only chance of survival. You too can save someone’s life by registering as a potential bone marrow donor. It takes only a moment and involves a preliminary medical interview, completing a form with personal details, and collecting a swab from the inside of the cheek or 4 ml of blood.
A meeting with Zbigniew Herbutem, one of the organizers and coordinators of this exceptional campaign, took place on Friday, April 4, at the Janusz Korczak II General Secondary School in Bolesławiec. Zbigniew Herbut spoke, among other things, about the process of registering potential bone marrow donors and about the myths surrounding bone marrow transplants. “It is difficult to fight these myths, especially in our country,” emphasizes the co-organizer of Szpikolada. “A considerable number of our compatriots believe that bone marrow is in the spine. But it is not there; only the spinal cord is.”
Zbigniew Herbut on a myth surrounding bone marrow transplants (a statement from a year ago):
As the Szpikolada coordinator explains, stem cells are most often collected directly from the donor’s bloodstream; in emergency situations, they are collected from the pelvic bone (approximately 20% of cases).
This year’s Szpikolada is also important because a bone marrow donor is still being sought for Kuby Legieżyńskiego. On Friday, April 11, [szczegółowy program akcji opublikujemy jutro – przyp. ii] potential bone marrow donors will be able to register at almost all secondary schools and elsewhere.
Moreover, during this edition, the Szpikoludek statuette will be presented. It was created by the well-known Bolesławiec artist Czesław Matyjewicz. “My dream is to award this statuette to those who have become bone marrow donors, and in exceptional cases to those who have particularly promoted this idea in the local community,” emphasizes Zbigniew Herbut.
We will return to this topic.
(information: ii)