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 (WMDD). This year marks the 11^th anniversary of thanking donors for their generousity in helping others survive blood cancer, inherited immune disorders, 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 43 million today.

For the first time, the celebration of WMDD begins a week early with a Journey of Hope. Every day, a different group involved in the lifesaving transplant process will be featured by registries around the world on their social media channels and at local events.

Check out our social media every day this week for our posts: 

• Sunday, Sept. 14: Registries and Cord Blood Banks – featuring the background and histories of how registries were established and grew over the years to save millions of lives around the world. Gift of Life invites you to learn more about our history.


• Monday, Sept. 15: HLA Laboratories and Cell & Gene Therapy Developers and Manufacturers – recognizing the scientists, lab technicians, and staff who make it possible to determine donor-recipient matches, and those who are seeking new cures through cellular therapies. Learn more about Gift of Life’s Center for Cell and Gene Therapy. 


• Tuesday, Sept. 16: Focus on Workup and Collection Centers that prepare donors in advance and collect their blood stem cells during a 4- to 6-hour cell separation (apheresis) process. This is also Apheresis Awareness Day. Learn about the Adelson Collection Center at Gift of Life’s headquarters.


• Wednesday, Sept. 17: Search Coordinators and Registry Staff – the teams at donor registries who recruit new volunteer donors and facilitate HLA matching searches for patients to find their stem cell and marrow donors. Find a Gift of Life donor drive near you.


• Thursday, Sept. 18: Couriers – the dedicated individuals who hand-carry donated stem cells and marrow to transplant centers and hospitals around the world.


• Friday, Sept. 19: Caregivers – From the family members who provide daily support to their loved ones to the nurses who care for those patients in the hospital setting, caregivers are essential to surviving cancer.


• Saturday, Sept. 20: World Marrow Donor Day! Thank you, Donors, for your kindness and generosity in helping to save a stranger’s life.

The WMDA is also featuring a new hashtag this year, #HopeHero, to help put the spotlight on those who make lifesaving transplants possible.

To recognize World Marrow Donor Day, many Gift of Life supporters around the world download our “Un-Selfie” placard, write a personal note on it, then photo themselves and share the message through their social media channels. Download your Un-Selfie below!

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 Contest, a friendly competition between registries to see who can design a truly terrific cake!

How you can participate

Gift of Life Marrow Registry is an enthusiastic partner every year, and we invite you to join us in celebrating the day. Download our "UN-Selfie" and write your own message thanking donors. Take a photo with your sign and share it on social media. You can inspire others to join the registry!

Click the image to download a PDF for printing.

Remember to tag #WMDD25 #ThankYouDonor and #HopeHero