30 years – Enabling more second chances at life
Camera and… action! We’re looking forward to a ground-breaking day in the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders – a day that will receive more public attention than usual. We’re talking about May 28, 2021. It’s the day we turn 30. And it’s also World Blood Cancer Day (WBCD). So for us, it’s an important opportunity to say a heartfelt ‘thank-you’ to all of our donors, patients and supporters and invite them to join us in sending out a message of solidarity.
Established in Germany in 1991 as a result of a personal tragedy suffered by Peter Harf, we are now a global database network with more than 10.7 million registered donors in seven locations across five continents. We are the global leader in the procurement of stem cell donors for patients around the world, and our DKMS donors have enabled more than 92,000 patients in 57 countries to have a second chance at life.
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“We very much wanted to involve all our donors and all the people who have been so important to our mission in our celebration of this milestone in the history of our non-profit organization,” says Managing Director and Global CEO Dr. Elke Neujahr.
As a special thank you to everyone, we will be streaming our virtual jubilee event live from Cafe Moskau in Berlin. The show starts at 7.30 p.m. and will last about 90 minutes, shining a light on patients, donors, and companions as they tell their highly personal and moving stories. Your host for the evening will be Matthias Killing. Please note, the safety of our guests is of prime importance so we will be taking all relevant precautions required due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m pleased to invite you to our virtual DKMS Jubilee Show on May 28, 2021, in which we’ll be hearing from our companions, celebrity ambassadors, supporters and experts from the last 30 years,” says Dr. Elke Neujahr.
Excerpt from the program
The DKMS story began with Peter Harf’s struggle to save his beloved wife, Mechtild Harf. 30 years later, Peter speaks with moderator Matthias Killing about how his family’s personal plight evolved into an international effort to save lives. “Sadly though, we could not help Mechtild and she ultimately passed away,” he explains. “Before she did, she made me promise to continue the work we were doing, so that other families could be saved from the pain we’d felt and other patients could have a second chance at life.”
DKMS and its staff remain true to his promise to this day – especially Peter and Mechtild’s daughter Katharina Harf. During the show she will talk about what DKMS and the fight against blood cancer mean to her.
You can watch the livestream event on May 28 on this webpage. There’s no need to sign up. Just tune in. We look forward to entertaining you. This webpage is also where you can find all the latest updates on our schedule. So get ready for an amazing, touching, and highly emotional evening!
30 years of DKMS - milestones in the fight against blood cancer
World Blood Cancer Day – Your Heroic Journey
May 28 is World Blood Cancer Day (WBCD), and this year the focus is once again on informing and educating people. In particular, we want to introduce young people to the all-important topic of stem cell donations. This will allow us to offer even more patients a second chance at life in the future.
For the first time, we had planned an interactive exhibition on the topic, entitled Your Heroic Journey. But owing to the Covid situation, it has had to be cancelled, and all WBCD activities will be taking place online.
Find out more at: www.dkms.org/wbcd