DKMS Experiences a Thousand Acts of Kindness

More than 1,000 Bone Marrow Donors Sign-up in Just a Few Hours

NY, NY (January 22, 2009) — Everyone at DKMS, the world’s largest bone marrow donor center, is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support people showed at a bone marrow donor drive held on Saturday, January 17th organized in honor of leukemia patient, Kelli Wynne. There were over 60 volunteers and more than 1,000 people registered as bone marrow donors. Long lines formed, yet no one minded to wait their turn to sign up as a life-saver.

Mary-Anna Holden, Mayor of Madison, NJ, shares her experience: "This is the most stunning event in my career in public service since 9-11. Tears came to my eyes when I saw all these people, so many terrific volunteers."

The Guinness Book of World Records states that the highest number of bone marrow donors registered within a 24-hour period was 277 in Austria. DKMS broke this record on Saturday.

“We are proud of surpassing the world record in bone marrow donor registrations,” stated Katharina Harf, EVP, DKMS Americas. “Most of all, I am humbled by the kindness of the many who came out to help save Kelli and others like her.”

Kelli Wynne is a mother of four and her life depends on the kindness of a stranger. She thought she had fought leukemia, but after 17 months the cancer returned. Now her only chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant. She is not alone. Every day over 6,000 patients search the national registry for a matching donor.

“Since I lost my mother to leukemia, it is my absolute dream to one day have enough donors that every patient in need of a bone marrow transplant will find a match,” said Harf.

Bone marrow donor registration is a three step process and takes minutes. The first step is to understand your commitment, next, check if you are eligible and lastly, complete a registration form and swab the inside of your upper cheeks.

If you are unable to attend a bone marrow donor drive in your community, you can request a donor kit from DKMS, or if you are interested in organizing a drive, call 1.866.340.DKMS (3567), or e-mail info@dkmsamericas.org

Click here to view photos from the DKMS donor drive in honor of Kelli Wynne.

About DKMS

DKMS was founded in Germany in 1991 by Peter Harf and Professor Dr. Gerhard Ehninger, after Peter lost his wife, Mechtild, to acute leukemia. Today, DKMS is the world’s largest and most successful bone marrow donor center with over 1.8 million registered donors. Since its founding, DKMS has facilitated more than 16,000 transplants.

The mission of DKMS is to give every blood cancer patient a second chance at life. We work with patients and their families to organize bone marrow donor drives to recruit donors from every race and ethnicity. We inspire hope and healing by matching our donors with patients around the world in need of a bone marrow transplant.

DKMS Americas is a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization. For more information about DKMS, visit www.dkmsamericas.org