The Karaiskakio Foundation’s registry now has more than 205,400 registered bone marrow donors, including Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, with more than 1,000 donors having provided transplants to patients in 36 countries.
The figures were highlighted by the Foundation ahead of World Marrow Donor Day, observed on 22 September 2026 under the theme “Hope Heroes”.
More than 1,000 donors have provided transplants
The annual World Marrow Donor Day honours volunteers who join donor registries and, when identified as a match, donate blood-forming stem cells to patients with serious blood disorders.
The Karaiskakio Foundation is taking part in the 12th global observance, recognising donors who have already donated as well as volunteers registered with donor registries around the world.
The World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) represents more than 44 million volunteer donors in 60 countries. According to the association, more than 70,000 patients each year search for a compatible donor outside their family, while around half of those who eventually find a compatible volunteer donor are matched with someone in another country.
Cyprus registry has largest donor ratio
The Karaiskakio Foundation has been a WMDA member since 2000 and received the organisation’s accreditation in 2008, becoming one of the first donor registries worldwide to receive the accreditation.
According to the Foundation, Cyprus has the largest donor registry in the world relative to its population.
The Cypriot registry forms part of the international network used to search for compatible donors for patients in Cyprus and abroad.
The Foundation stressed that the registry needs to be continuously renewed and expanded, as the genetic diversity of Cyprus’s population and demographic changes can affect the chances of finding a compatible unrelated donor.
More than one million transplant patients worldwide
The Foundation said that since the first bone marrow transplant was carried out in 1956, more than one million patients worldwide have undergone transplantation.
Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a treatment option for more than 70 different diseases.
The Karaiskakio Foundation also dedicates September to “Leukaemia Month”, organising awareness and information activities focused on leukaemia and bone marrow donation.
For World Marrow Donor Day, the Foundation is encouraging the public to support the global campaign on social media by sharing stories of courage, recovery and generosity using #thankyoudonor, #WMDD26 and #HopeHero.
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