Now celebrated annually on September 22, World Marrow Donor Day (WMDD), which was established by the World Marrow Donor Association in 2015, was originally designated on the third Saturday of September as a day to recognize volunteer blood stem cell and marrow donors worldwide. This year marks the 12^th anniversary of thanking donors for their generosity in helping others survive blood cancer, inherited immune disorders, and related diseases.

The week leading up to WMDD features the Journey of Hope, which recognizes a different aspect of the transplant process daily to educate the public about the complexity – and large number of people – involved in treating each patient.

In just 10 years, the number of volunteer donors in registries internationally has grown from 25 million to more than 44 million today. In their honor, the Journey of Hope will be featured by registries around the world on their social media channels and at local events.

Check out our social media every day for our posts: 

• Tuesday, September 15: Apheresis Day features those who prepare donors in advance and collect their blood stem cells during the 4- to 6-hour cell separation (apheresis) process. This is also World Apheresis Awareness Day. Learn about the Adelson Collection Center, located at Gift of Life’s headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida.


• Wednesday, September 16: Matching Day focuses on those who enable us to match donors with recipients through their Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA).  HLA laboratories test both donors' and patients’ tissue samples to identify their profiles, and it is these scientists, lab technicians, and staff who make it possible to determine donor-recipient genetic matches.


• Thursday, September 17: Registries and Registry Staff Day recognizes the teams at donor registries who recruit new volunteer donors, facilitate HLA searches to find matches for patients, and do all the background work needed for donor registries to successfully save lives. 


• Friday, September 18: Cell & Gene Therapy Developers and Cord Blood Banks Day acknowledges those who are actively seeking new cures through cellular therapies, those who currently provide advanced cellular therapies, and the vital Cord Blood Banks that store donated umbilical cord blood for transplantation.   Learn more about Gift of Life’s Center for Cell and Gene Therapy. 


• Saturday, September 19: Health Care Workers Day includes everyone from the physician who first diagnoses a life-threatening condition to the many health care professionals, nurses, and transplant center staff who care for patients in the hospital setting. These caregivers are all essential to every patient’s survival.


• Sunday,  September 20: Family Caregivers Day  honors the family and friends of patients who step up and care for their loved ones and their families through the complex, usually months-long journey of receiving and recovering from a transplant.


• Monday, September 21: Couriers Day celebrates the dedicated individuals who hand-carry donated stem cells and marrow around the world to deliver them to transplant centers and hospitals to save lives.


• Tuesday, Sept. 22: World Marrow Donor Day! Thank you, Donors, for your kindness and generosity in helping to save a stranger’s life. Our website is filled with stories about our amazing donors, including those who have met their recipients at special events! Visit our Newsroom to read about our donors, as well as other news from Gift of Life.

Among the incredible ways registries and collection centers celebrate their donors are short films, rallies, the lighting of landmark buildings, messages collected from donors internationally, and, of course, the annual Cake-Off – a friendly competition between registries to see who can design a truly terrific cake!

How you can participate

We invite our Gift of Life supporters to celebrate World Marrow Donor Day with us. Please download our “UNselfie” placard, write a personal note on it, then photograph yourselves and share the message through your social media channels. Download your UNselfie below!