Stem cells save lives
Stem cells are found in your bone marrow. They enable your body to produce new blood cells around the clock, approximately 350 million per minute! A healthy person with healthy stem cells, can donate them to someone with a serious illness, such as blood cancer, to help them recover.
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Stem cells are found in your bone marrow. They enable your body to produce new blood cells around the clock, approximately 350 million per minute! A healthy person with healthy stem cells, can donate them to someone with a serious illness, such as blood cancer, to help them recover.
Diverse stem cells wanted
If you need a stem cell donor, the best chance of finding a match is usually among people who share your roots. Sometimes patients find a suitable match within their family. Unfortunately, this is not the case for most patients. When no family match is available, the search continues in the international stem cell donor registry. To improve chances for more patients, it is essential that more people from diverse backgrounds register as stem cell donors.
Suriname does not have a national stem cell donor registry. As a result, Surinamese patients depend on donors registered in other countries. Patients in the Netherlands with Surinamese roots are most likely to find a match among Dutch donors who share the same heritage. Hindustani-Surinamese patients often find suitable donors among people with roots in India. Afro-Surinamese patients have the best chances of matching with donors of African descent.
Morocco also does not have its own national stem cell donor registry. Moroccan patients therefore rely on international registries as well. Their chances of finding a match are highest among people with North African roots.
Some patients wait years for a suitable stem cell donor. In some cases, no match is ever found, which can lead to prolonged illness or even death. That is why increasing the number of registered donors from all backgrounds is so important. You could be the one person who is a life-saving match for someone in need.
Frequently asked questions
Donating stem cells is allowed in most religions. The conditions are the same as the medical ones: it must not harm you and you must be healthy.
If you are unsure, contact a pastor, religious leader, or theologian.
Register with Stichting Matchis
Complete the online medical check.
Fill in your personal details.
After registering, you will receive a kit at home with cotton swabs.
Rub the swabs along the inside of your cheeks.
Return the swabs by mail following the instructions.
The laboratory checks your tissue type, and then you are added to the database.
You will only be called if there is a match.
Stichting Matchis is the only non-profit organization in the Netherlands where you can register as a stem cell donor for someone outside your family. Matchis is the only organization that holds your data.
As a registered stem cell donor, the likelihood that you will ever be asked to donate is small. Stichting Matchis will only contact you if you are identified as a match for a patient. This happens when a patient in need of stem cells shares the same tissue type as you. Your tissue type is determined through the cheek swab you submit when you register.
How stem cell donation works
In about 90% of cases: donation through the bloodstream
Before donation, you receive medication for several days to increase the number of stem cells in your blood. This may cause temporary flu-like symptoms or bone pain. During the procedure, a needle is placed in each arm. A machine collects the stem cells from your blood, and the remaining blood is returned to your body through the other arm.In some cases: donation through bone marrow
Stem cells are collected from the pelvic bone using a needle. This procedure takes place under general anesthesia. After donation, you may feel tired for a few days and experience temporary soreness in your lower back.
The patient’s doctor determines whether stem cells are needed from the bloodstream or from the bone marrow. You may also indicate your preference. The physician at Matchis will always assess whether the chosen method is safe for you. Donation is entirely voluntary.
Did you know that your body produces approximately 350 million new blood cells every minute?
If you are between 18 and 55 years old and in good health, you can register as a stem cell donor. After the age of 55, people are no longer eligible to donate because the quality of stem cells decreases over time, which may increase risks for the patient. The best transplant outcomes are generally seen with donors between the ages of 18 and 35.
If you donate through blood, an IV line is placed in each arm. You may briefly feel the needle when it is inserted, but the donation itself is not painful. In the days leading up to the donation, you may experience temporary side effects from the medication used to stimulate the release of stem cells into your bloodstream, such as flu-like symptoms or some bone pain.
If stem cells are collected from your bone marrow, the procedure takes place in a hospital under general anesthesia. You will not feel the needle during the procedure. After you wake up, you may feel tired for a few days and experience temporary soreness or a bruised sensation in your lower back.
The chance is very small. Less than 1% of registered donors are ever asked to donate. It is therefore possible that you may never be contacted after registering.
But if you turn out to be that one match for a patient in need, you could save a life.
There are far too few donors with roots outside Western Europe. As a result, not all patients from these communities who need stem cells are able to find a suitable match.
By registering, you could be the match someone is waiting for and help save a life.
Around 90% of stem cell donations take place through the bloodstream. This is not a surgical procedure. In the days leading up to the donation, you receive medication that stimulates the release of stem cells into your bloodstream. On the day of the donation, you visit the hospital for a few hours and can return home afterwards.
If stem cells need to be collected from the bone marrow, you will spend (part of) a day in the hospital. The stem cells are taken from the pelvic bone using a needle under general anesthesia, so you do not feel the procedure. In most cases, you can go home the same day.
All expenses related to the donation are reimbursed, including compensation for time off work.
If you are contacted about a possible donation and have doubts, you are free to change your decision at any time. You can also withdraw from the donor registry whenever you choose.
All reasonable expenses related to the donation are reimbursed. This includes travel costs and, if needed, taxi transport to and from the hospital. In some cases, hotel accommodation may also be covered. If you are unable to work for a few days due to the donation, compensation is available. You do not receive payment for donating stem cells. For detailed information about reimbursements and compensation, please visit the Stichting Matchis website.
If you are employed, your salary will continue to be paid under Dutch sickness benefit regulations while you recover from any side effects related to the donation. If you are self-employed, a compensation scheme is also available. You can find more information about financial arrangements on the Stichting Matchis website.
All costs incurred during or after donation are reimbursed by Matchis. It has no effect on your own insurance or deductible (Eigen Risico).