Jim's doctor first brought up a stem cell transplant five years before he said yes. 👀 Fear and not knowing what the process looked like kept it on the shelf. Watch Jim tell you what it took to finally get there. Every stem cell transplant starts with a stem cell donor 💙

Meet Stephen. He first donated stem cells in 2016. He donated again in 2025. And this time, it's his third donation to the same recipient 🙌 Before his donation, he sent us this message: "I never knew I could love a complete stranger, but donating to one did just that." He'd already been through this process before, but this time felt different, because this time he knew who was on the other end. An 11 year old with a family posting updates and holding onto hope. We need more Stephens in the world. #DKMS

📸 Swab Selfie Sunday #77 ❤️ Another Sunday, another swab 🙌 One painless cheek swab, about a minute of your time, and you're in the database that could match a blood cancer patient with their stem cell transplant. Featured next? DM us your #SwabSelfie 📲 Comment "Swab Today" and we'll send you the link to register. #DKMS

Niles High School just hosted a stem cell donor drive, and 11 people walked out registered 🙌 That's 11 new names on the registry. 11 new chances for a match somewhere down the line. It only takes one swab to end up being someone's exact match, and now there are 11 more people who could be that for someone. Huge thank you to everyone who showed up and swabbed. Want to host a drive at your school? dkms.org/get-involved/progra…

Rosa met her stem cell recipient, and honestly, we're still thinking about it 🥹 She's the kind of stem cell donor who stayed in touch every step of the way. Responsive, sweet, checking in without being asked. So when the meeting finally happened, it felt like the whole point of this work coming full circle. This is why we do it. One registration, one match, one moment like this.

Remember when Juan and Max Uribe took over your feed? One of those swabs just became a stem cell donation. 🙌 Ellery joined the registry during that push, got matched with a patient, and donated stem cells to a stranger. Now he's challenging college orgs to get their own members swabbing. Swab for Hope started with the Microbiology Club and Hawks for Service Members at Saint Joseph's University.🏆 Host a drive, spread awareness about the DKMS stem cell registry, or get your community to swab on their own. Ready to swab for hope? Email [email protected] to get started. #DKMS

Today is World Marrow Donor Day. ❤️ It's the one day a year built entirely around a single phone call. The one where someone hears "you're a match" and says yes. That yes doesn't happen without someone joining the stem cell donor registry first, sometimes years before the call ever comes. So today we're recognizing every stem cell donor who showed up when it counted, and every person still on the registry waiting for their moment. Your swab kit is already doing its job just by sitting in the system, ready. 💛 You could be someone's match. Comment "Swab Today" and we'll send you the link. #DKMS #WorldMarrowDonorDay #WMDD

Bryson registered to become a potential stem cell donor as soon as he turned 18. 🧬 He didn’t know much about stem cell donation at the time. He simply knew he was able to help, and wanted to. Then the call came while he was on break at work. “I was so excited I had to call my wife.” That excitement stayed with him through preparation, donation and recovery. His wife joined him on donation day, while his mom helped look after their two young daughters. ❤️ When we asked Bryson if he would donate again, his answer was clear: “100%.” His message to anyone thinking about registering? “The feeling of fulfillment you get from doing something like this is unlike anything you’ve felt.” One decision made at 18 put Bryson in a position to help someone when the call came. Take your first step and register as a potential stem cell donor. #DKMS #StemCellDonor #DonorStory

📸 Swab Selfie Sunday #76 ❤️ This is what joining the stem cell donor registry looks like 🩸 A DKMS swab is just a quick cheek swab you do at home. It's how patients waiting on a stem cell transplant eventually find their match. Want to be featured? Send your #SwabSelfie our way 📲 Comment "Swab Today" and we'll send you the link to join. #DKMS

Asking St. Louis Why They Swabbed ❤️

FAQ: How are patients matched with donors? A: A cheek cell sample is collected at registration. The sample is tested for the HLA characteristics and added to the global donor pool. Doctors can then search the registry and find a matching donor for their patient by comparing the patient's HLA to the donor's.

41 people joined the stem cell donor registry at trivia night in St. Louis, all because a girl named Chloe has people who show up for her. 🙌 Chloe is currently being treated for Leukemia. She doesn't need a transplant herself, but her sister and friends wanted to turn her diagnosis into momentum for someone else's match. Some nights, love looks like trivia questions and swab kits. #DKMS

Before she passed away, Mechtild Harf asked her husband for one promise. 🕊️ Keep searching. So other families wouldn't lose someone the way theirs did. 💛 When she was diagnosed with leukemia in 1991, Peter searched everywhere for a stem cell donor who could save her. At the time, only 3,000 people worldwide were registered as potential donors, a number that made finding a match feel nearly impossible. One was found eventually, but not soon enough. Mechtild passed away on September 16, 1991. Peter could have grieved privately and moved on. Instead, he decided that no other family should have to search with odds that small. He founded DKMS to grow the registry, one person at a time, until finding a match wasn't a matter of luck. 🌍 Today, that mission has grown into an international organization with offices in seven countries across five continents and more than 1,700 employees. Over 13.5 million people are registered worldwide as potential stem cell donors, and more than 140,000 of them have already given someone a second chance. 🙌 If you've ever thought about registering and never gotten around to it, today is a good day to actually do it. It takes a few minutes, and for someone out there, it could mean everything. #DKMS

"Miracles happen." That's what ET's doctor told him after his AML diagnosis in 2022. ❤️ A few weeks ago, his church in Cape Coral showed up for him and for everyone still waiting on a match. 50 people swabbed in person, with even more registering online. ET's daughter Elizabeth turned out to be his donor. Eight months after his transplant, he got to walk his older daughter down the aisle at her wedding, a moment he wasn't sure he'd see. Every swab from this drive is a chance to be someone's Elizabeth. #DKMS

Ten years ago, Ian saw a donor table in his college dorm and decided to register. He had no idea what stem cell donation involved. He just knew that if he ever became a match, he wanted to help someone. 🧬 A decade later, Ian was sitting at his desk at work when he learned that opportunity had arrived. He admits he was unsure at first. But after talking it through with his family and getting his questions answered, that uncertainty turned into excitement. His wife, Megan, and their children were right there with him through the process. ❤️ Ian went on to donate, and when we asked if he would do it again, his answer was yes. “The sacrifice is so small compared to the impact you could make in someone’s life.” A decision made at a table in a college dorm stayed with Ian for 10 years. Your first step can start with a swab. Register to become a potential stem cell donor today. #DKMS #StemCellDonor #DonorStory

📸 Swab Selfie Sunday #75 ❤️ Quick fact: 70% of blood cancer patients don't have a stem cell donor match in their own family. That's why the DKMS registry needs more people to swab. It takes a minute, it's painless, and it could be the reason someone finds their match. DM us your #SwabSelfie for a chance to be next Sunday's feature 📲 Comment "Swab Today" and we'll send you the registration link. #DKMS

Asking Warped Tour Why They Volunteer (Part 3) ‍👩‍🎤

Asking Warped Tour Why They Volunteer (Part 2) 🧑‍🎤

Asking Warped Tour Why They Volunteer (Part 1) 🎸

Have you seen our documentary "Dancing Through It" yet 👀 Out on the DKMS US YouTube page now!