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More than 850 donors registered with the Karaiskakio Foundation have helped provide transplants to patients across 35 countries, displaying Cyprus’ growing role in the global bone marrow donation network, the foundation said Tuesday in a statement marking World Marrow Donor Day.
The foundation said Cyprus continues to take an active role in the international observance, leading efforts to raise awareness, educate the public, and support life-saving donations.
This year’s event, themed “Heroes of Hope,” honors the millions of volunteer donors worldwide who give patients a second chance at life. Cypriot donors play a particularly prominent role. The Karaiskakio Foundation’s registry now includes more than 203,500 volunteers, making it the largest marrow donor registry in the world relative to the country’s population.
World Marrow Donor Day was first established in 2015 by the World Marrow Donor Association and is celebrated annually on the third Saturday in September. This year, on Sept. 20, donors from more than 60 countries, totaling over 43 million, will participate in the global tribute.
As part of the campaign, the Karaiskakio Foundation continues to encourage young people in Cyprus to register as volunteer donors through its online platform, www.fakeloseto.com, under the slogan “File it… at home.” The process allows prospective donors to register remotely and receive a saliva sample kit to join the international pool of potential donors.
The foundation has also designated September as “Leukemia Month,” hosting a series of events aimed at increasing awareness about leukemia and the importance of bone marrow donation.
“Our donors are true Heroes of Hope. They give life without asking for anything in return,” the foundation said, highlighting the need to maintain a robust registry, especially given Cyprus’ genetic diversity and declining birth rates.
The statement noted that more than 50,000 patients worldwide each year require an unrelated compatible donor, making international collaboration and individual participation crucial in saving lives.
