Join the bone marrow donor registry

The Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry is in desperate need of new donors in the 18- to 35-year-old age range.

Transcript

00:00 Are you aged between 18 to 35?

00:02 If you are, you can do something very simple

00:05 that might potentially save a life.

00:07 The Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry

00:10 is in desperate need of people to sign up.

00:13 Each year, about 1,000 Australians with cancers,

00:15 such as leukaemia, need a bone marrow

00:18 or blood stem cell transplant.

00:20 But finding a donor is like finding a needle in a haystack.

00:24 It doesn't help that Australia's donor registry is so low.

00:28 Often, those seeking stem cells

00:30 will have to receive their transplant from an overseas donor,

00:33 as other countries have done far more over the years

00:36 to boost their registries.

00:37 You can only sign up to be a donor if you are aged between 18 to 35.

00:44 You will remain on the list until you are 60,

00:46 but the registry only accepts new donors in the 18 to 35 age range.

00:50 That's because younger donors give their recipient

00:53 a much better chance at life.

00:55 Doctors will overwhelmingly choose younger donors

00:57 and are more likely to choose men,

00:59 as they can generally give more stem cells.

01:01 The Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry

01:04 has a target to have 3% of all Australians

01:07 aged between 18 to 35 on the registry.

01:10 That's only 150,000 people,

01:13 or only one third of those who bought tickets

01:15 to Taylor Swift's Eras tour in Australia.

01:18 When you're on the list,

01:19 there's only about a one in 1,000 chance

01:21 that you are a match for someone.

01:23 If you are selected to be a donor,

01:25 you don't generally have to undergo an invasive procedure.

01:28 For most, it's similar to giving blood,

01:29 and the recovery time might be a day or two.

01:31 But how do you become a donor?

01:37 Well, you can sign up online to receive a swab kit that you send off.

01:41 It's super simple, and these can be ordered from Strength to Give.

01:45 Alternatively, next time you are giving blood,

01:47 you can ask to be signed up to the registry.

01:50 So if you're 18 to 35, please consider signing up.

01:54 you might just save someone's life.

01:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]