In 2014, the World Marrow Donor Association set the third Saturday of September as an annual day of recognition for blood stem cell and marrow donors, World Marrow Donor Day. This year marks the tenth anniversary of thanking donors for their generous wish to help others survive blood cancer and related diseases.
Marrow registries around the world have found myriad ways to honor donors, recognize those who have joined the registry in the hope of saving a life, and celebrate the millions of lives saved by donors. In the past decade, the number of volunteer donors in registries internationally has grown from 25 million to more than 41 million today.
To recognize the day, donors from many registries write personal notes on placards and take photos – called “UN-selfies” – to share the message about registries through their social media channels.
Among the incredible ways registries and collection centers celebrate their donors include short films, rallies, the lighting of landmark buildings, messages collected from donors internationally, and of course, the annual Cake-Off Contest, a friendly competition between registries to see who can design a truly terrific cake!
Gift of Life Marrow Registry is an enthusiastic partner every year, and we invite you to join us in celebrating the day. Download either our "UN-Selfie" and write your own message thanking donors, or get our special sign for donors that says you have already “Swabbed! Matched! Donated!”. Take a photo with your sign and share it on social media. You can inspire others to join the registry!
Click on an image to download a PDF for printing.
Remember to tag your post with the hashtag #WMDD24. Below are our channels so you can tag Gift of Life as well!
Facebook or X/Twitter: @giftoflife
Instagram: @giftoflifemarrowregistry
TikTok: @giftoflifemarrowregistry
Thank you to each and every donor – from Gift of Life and from every registry worldwide– who has given blood stem cells or marrow so that a stranger can have a second chance at life.
You are our heroes!