On Friday, 21 April, the sixth edition of Szpikolada began. It is an original initiative of the community of Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących i Zawodowych im. mjra H. Sucharskiego in Bolesławiec, with a charitable and educational focus. It is carried out by a group of teachers and students in cooperation with foundations involved in registering potential bone marrow donors and promoting blood donation and tissue and organ transplantation.

View photo: Szpikolada 2017 View photo: Szpikolada 2017 View photo: Szpikolada 2017

Register today! Here is the detailed programme of this year's edition:

  • Friday, 21 April
    • 10:00 – official opening of Szpikolada, ZSOiZ sports hall
    • registration of potential bone marrow donors:
      • ZSOiZ, sports hall: 11:00–15:00
      • City Center Gallery: 15:00–19:00
    • blood donation, ZSOiZ sports hall: 10:00–14:00
    • café
  • Saturday, 22 April
    • 4th Run for Marrow (registration from 09:00), athletics Orlik at Komuny Paryskiej Street
    • registration of potential bone marrow donors:
      • ZSOiZ, sports hall: 10:00–14:00
      • City Center Gallery: 10:00–16:00
    • café.

A bone marrow donor may be a person who is:

  • between 18 and 50 years of age
  • responsible and aware that they may be asked to donate bone marrow even several dozen years after registration
  • healthy, who has not had cancer, haematological or immunological diseases, is not a carrier of HIV, HBS or HCV (hepatitis B or C)
  • meeting requirements similar to those for blood donors.

During registration, you must have a document bearing your PESEL number with you.

A person is permanently disqualified from donating bone marrow by:

  • HIV infection (or belonging to a group at increased risk of infection with this virus)
  • the presence of HBs antigen, anti-HCV antibodies with the presence of HCV RNA (the presence of anti-HBc antibodies and a past hepatitis A infection are acceptable)
  • active tuberculosis within the past five years
  • diabetes requiring antidiabetic medication
  • active asthma requiring medication (if the candidate has not had an asthma attack in the past five years and does not take medication, they may qualify).

In Poland, someone is diagnosed every hour with blood cancer, or leukaemia. For many patients, a transplant from an unrelated donor is their 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 cheek swab or 4 ml of blood.

Zbigniew Herbut from the Polish Red Cross on a myth surrounding bone marrow transplantation: