The Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Health Sciences Faculty, Department of Health Management organized a Bone Marrow Donor Registration activity as part of their Communication course, in collaboration with the Kemal Saraçoğlu Children with Leukemia Foundation. During the event, 60 volunteers became registered donors.
Speaking at the event EMU Health Sciences Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Mehtap Malkoç stated: “Our faculty had carried out an event with the Kemal Saraçoğlu Children with Leukemia Foundation last year. This year’s event carried out by Department of Health Management students is very important and meaningful. Collecting samples, finding suitable bone marrow and becoming a donor is very important. We congratulate academic staff member Çiğdem Duvarcı and our students for organizing this event. Health Sciences Faculty will continue initiating similar events.”
Touching upon the second Bone Marrow Donor Registration organized by EMU Health Sciences Faculty and their foundation, Kemal Saraçoğlu Foundation Palliative Care Unit Chief Nurse Servet Özeralp stated: “On behalf of our community and patients waiting for suitable bone marrow, I would like to thank everyone who participated in this event which will hopefully become an annual organization at EMU. One sample equates to one life and each life should be valued regardless of age.”
The event with the slogan “Every donor is hope, hope is a thousand times happiness” will provide hope for Leukemia patents across the world. The Kemal Saraçoğlu Children with Leukemia Foundation provides the opportunity for Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide registration via the Cyprus Bone Marrow Archive as a result of their collaboration with the Karaiskakio Foundation. In their statement, the Foundation noted that each year thousands of people, mainly children face problems such as leukemia, lymphoma and other haematological illnesses. Patients that get better after chemotherapy and radiotherapy do not require any other treatment. However for some patients, the serious and difficult stem cell transplantation from parents or voluntary donors is the only treatment method. Thanks to stem cell transplantations many patients have been revived.”
The foundation went on to explain that the Cyprus Bone Marrow Archive has the registration of over 125 thousand Cypriot volunteers, stating that this is the world’s largest bone marrow archive according to registration to population ratio. It was also stated that as a member of Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide, the Cyprus Bone Marrow Archive can donate bone marrow to patients worldwide as well as receive worldwide bone marrow donations for Cypriot patients. Further information can be obtained from the Kemal Saraçoğlu Children with Leukemia Foundation website: http://www.kemalsaracoglu.org
