On January 8, Armenia celebrates Bone Marrow Donor Day.
The role of donors in the modern world cannot be overestimated. For many people, bone marrow transplantation becomes the only chance to survive when certain diseases (hematological, oncological and others) are detected. However, the process of finding compatible genotypes seriously complicates the procedure, turning the search for a compatible donor into a long-term procedure. At the same time, the situation often develops in such a way that the time allotted for the search is sorely insufficient due to the progressive nature of the disease.
That is why donation, as a socially responsible phenomenon, is given special attention by health authorities in different countries. Every third Saturday in September is World Bone Marrow Donor Day.
In Armenia, in addition to this memorable date, a similar holiday is celebrated within a separate state. It is celebrated on January 8 and is timed to coincide with the date of the emergence of the «Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry» Charitable Foundation in Yerevan. This event occurred in 2000. From that moment on, the register of bone marrow donors in Armenia, which became a member of the World Association of Bone Marrow Donors, began to be replenished. Every year the number of donors to the Armenian Register is replenished.
Promotions for donating donor blood are traditionally timed to coincide with the celebration of January 8. The genotype coincidence factor is very low; according to medical experts, it is 1 in 10,000. The cost of requesting and searching for a donor in the extensive European Register is very high, which once again obliges the leadership of the National Register and medical foundations to conduct educational activities among the population, campaign to donate blood and enter the Armenian Register of Bone Marrow Donors. Moreover, not every person can become a donor. There are certain restrictions on age and health. And donation itself is an exclusively voluntary expression of will.
Therefore, educational events are held throughout the country. Many political figures in the country take part in them, who are not indifferent to the fate of their fellow citizens suffering from serious illnesses. Cultural and artistic figures taking part in concerts dedicated to Donor Day are involved in the holiday.
The activities of the Armenian Register of Bone Marrow Donors not only contribute to the development of transplantology, but also solve a socially oriented problem: it is aimed at saving lives and giving hope to sick people. In cooperation with the Registers of other countries, the Armenian Register provides greater opportunities to find a suitable donor, and also significantly reduces the cost of the procedure.