Giving the gift of life three times
Sportklinik employee donates bone marrow on several occasions
Photo: Max Kruse
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Daniel Marcinkowski, a nurse at the Sportklinik Hellersen, has given another person the chance to live longer on no fewer than three occasions. This was made possible by his willingness to donate bone marrow. In total, he has already donated stem cells three times.
Even whilst he was still in training, Daniel Marcinkowski registered with the Stefan Mosch Foundation. “I can still remember exactly the moment when I first received a call telling me I was a potential donor. I was at vocational college at the time and my mobile rang right in the middle of a lesson. When I saw the area code, I somehow knew straight away,” reports the nurse. After that, everything happened very quickly.
Register as a stem cell donor and give seriously ill people a chance at survival.
“At first I was a bit overwhelmed and couldn’t process the information that quickly. After the phone call, things got underway straight away. I informed my teacher and was excused from lessons so I could head straight to the clinic for further tests,” says Daniel Marcinkowski. This is because, after registration, potential donors are initially only recorded in the register. Only when the database identifies a match further tests are carried out. These preliminary examinations include, amongst other things, an assessment of the anatomy of the pelvis. This is crucial in determining whether the donation can actually go ahead and stem cells can be harvested from the iliac crest. In addition, pre-operative consultations are held and blood samples are taken. In the end, Daniel Marcinkowski was given the ‘go-ahead’. The bone marrow donation was scheduled for the very next day.
“People often imagine it to be worse than it actually is,” he says, looking back. He was back on his feet after just a short while. When the foundation later asked him again to donate bone marrow, he didn’t hesitate for a second. “I was surprised, because at first you think, ‘I’ve donated now, so that’s it for the time being.’ But sometimes it happens that it’s necessary to donate again for the same person,” explains Daniel Marcinkowski. It is already difficult for a person to find a suitable donor. If, as in this case, several donations are necessary, the first match is therefore contacted again.
Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock
It wasn’t until between his second and third donations that Daniel Marcinkowski learned that the person to whom he had donated bone marrow was a 45-year-old father from England, near Manchester. “Both the donor and the recipient remain anonymous. You only learn anything about the recipient if they consent. And, of course, the same goes the other way around,” explains the nurse. For him, however, the focus was solely on helping.
“We’re all travelling along the same highway of life. I think it’s important to stop every now and then and see what’s happening to other people. You shouldn’t lose sight of what’s going on around you. For people who might be going through a tough time right now, and to give them a little more time to live through a stem cell donation or a blood donation. I think that’s the aspect that really touched me,” says Daniel Marcinkowski. His aim today: to raise awareness and encourage others to register as well.
Why is typing so important?
For many people with leukaemia, a stem cell transplant is the only chance of a cure. For this to happen, certain genetic characteristics between the donor and the patient must match almost perfectly.
The problem:
The genetic combinations are extremely diverse. Even today, around one in ten affected people worldwide cannot find a suitable ‘genetic match’. More registered donors mean a better chance of finding exactly that one suitable person.
Who can take part?
Registration is free for those aged 40 and under. The cost of 40 euros per typing test is covered by the Stefan Morsch Foundation through donations. For medical reasons, the likelihood of actually being eligible as a donor decreases with age. People over the age of 40 can still register if they cover the registration costs themselves.
Who is not eligible to register?
People with certain pre-existing conditions – such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases or cancer – are unfortunately not eligible to be registered as stem cell donors.
Die Registrierung ist unkompliziert und online über die Website der Stefan-Mosch-Stiftung möglich.
Registration is straightforward and can be done online via the Stefan Mosch Foundation’s website.
You, too, can save lives!
It’s that simple
- Click the link to go to the foundation’s typing page
- Complete the consent form online
- Receive a free kit for taking a saliva sample at home
- Return the sample free of charge
Anyone already registered with another stem cell donor registry does not need to register again.
