Every 27 seconds, someone somewhere in the world is diagnosed with blood cancer. You could be someone's second chance at life.
Who We Are
DKMS: Fighting Blood Cancer Since 1991
DKMS is an international nonprofit dedicated to providing a second chance at life for people battling blood cancer and blood disorders. Founded after a family’s personal loss, our mission is rooted in compassion, urgency, and hope.
Today, DKMS has grown into one of the world’s largest donor centers, with millions of registered potential donors and countless lives saved.
Why It Matters
Blood Cancer Is a Global Challenge
Leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood cancers affect the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells. For many patients, a stem cell or bone marrow transplant is the only path to survival.
But Finding a Donor Isn’t Easy
- Only 30% of patients find a matching donor in their own family.
- The other 70% rely on someone they’ve never met.
- A match must be extremely close — ideally 10/10 HLA characteristics must align.
That’s why building a larger, more diverse donor registry is critical.
How You Can Help
Becoming a donor is one of the most direct ways to help save a life. But there are multiple ways to make an impact — whether by donating your time, spreading awareness, or supporting DKMS financially. Every action counts, and together, we can give more patients a second chance at life.
How to Register
• Request Your Free Swab Kit
Fill out a short online form. We’ll send you a cheek-swab kit at no cost.
• Swab Your Cheeks
Use the swabs to collect a quick, painless sample from the inside of your cheeks.
• Mail It Back
Return your kit in the prepaid envelope — postage is covered.
• Join the Registry
Once processed, your HLA type is added to the global donor registry, making you available to any patient searching for a lifesaving match.
• Be Ready If You’re a Match
If you’re identified as a match, we’ll contact you right away and guide you through the donation process.
Your registration could be the reason someone gets a second chance.
Not everyone is able to donate stem cells — but everyone can make a difference.
Every new donor costs about $45 to add to the registry. Your gift helps process new kits, support patient services, and advance research that improves transplant outcomes.
Even one donation can help add another potential lifesaver to the registry.
Schools, businesses, and community groups can help grow the registry by organizing donor drives.
We provide everything you need — materials, guidance, and support.
Host an in-person event or create a virtual drive to reach supporters anywhere.
Awareness is powerful.
Talking about blood cancer, sharing our mission, and encouraging friends or colleagues to register helps expand the registry and increase the chance of a match for every patient.
How Donation Works
Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation (PBSC)
Used in about 80% of transplants, PBSC is the most common—and least invasive—way to donate. In a simple outpatient procedure, blood is drawn from one arm, stem cells are collected, and the rest of your blood is returned. No surgery needed. DKMS+1
Frequently asked questions about becoming a donor
Blood cancer is the generic term for malignant diseases of the bone marrow or blood-forming system, in which normal blood formation is disturbed by the uncontrolled multiplication of malignant blood cells. Because of these cancer cells, the blood can no longer perform its vital tasks, such as fighting infections, transporting oxygen or stopping bleeding.
Curing blood cancer
Blood cancer patients can often only overcome the disease with the help of a stem cell donation from a suitable donor. In the case of leukemia and malignant lymphomas, the transfer of healthy stem cells is often the only chance of a cure.
Leukemia
A series of malignant diseases in which there is a pathologically increased proliferation of immature and therefore, non-functional white blood cells. Malignant lymphomas are divided into Hodgkin's disease (lymphogranulomatosis) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (lymphatic leukemia), according to their different characteristics.
Lymphoma, malignant
Malignant alteration of lymphatic tissue with swelling of the lymph nodes and pathological enlargement of the spleen. Malignant lymphomas are divided according to their different characteristics into Hodgkin's disease (lymphogranulomatosis) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (lymphatic leukemia), which originate from the lymph nodes.
How does the search for a bone marrow or blood stem cell donor work?
Looking for a matching stem cell donor is like looking for a needle in a haystack. When a blood cancer or blood disorder patient depends on a blood stem cell transplant to survive, they need a donor whose human leukocyte antigen (HLA) characteristics are a 100 percent match, if possible. The patient's medical team sends a search request to local and international databases. If a potential donor is found to match the patient, the donor center will be informed and the registered donor is contacted immediately.
Four-in-ten patients do not find a matching donor. That is why we need as many people as possible to register as donors.
Who can register as a potential blood stem cell donor?
If you are between the ages of 18 and 55-years-old and in general good health, then you may be able to register as a blood stem cell donor.
If you have previously registered with DKMS or another donor center, there is no need to do so again, as you will already be available for searches worldwide. If you have been diagnosed with any chronic or serious illnesses (whether current or in the past), please check with us before signing up.
The National Marrow Donor Program has established medical guidelines that we follow to protect the safety of the donor. The following medical conditions would prevent a person from registering as a donor or from being cleared to donate.
- HIV
- History of heart surgery or heart disease
- Autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Factor V
- Sleep apnea, breathing problems or severe asthma (daily inhalers are acceptable)
- Diabetes requiring insulin or injectable medication
- Hepatitis B or C
- Kidney or liver disease
- History of stroke, including TIA
- Multiple concussions or head injuries
- Chronic or severe neck or back problems
- Epilepsy or other seizure within one year
- History of blood clotting or bleeding disorders
- Personal history of cancer (exceptions: Stage 0 or in situ melanoma, breast, bladder, cervical and cured localized skin cancer such as basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma)
