We held our second press conference to announce new campaigns and to thank all sponsors and donors
The founders of Ana Rukavina Foundation announced today many new campaigns and informed us that the number of potential donors entered into the first Croatian bone marrow Registry got increased in the last three weeks to 3.046 and the goal is to reach the number of 10.000 donors.
Mirando Mrsić, hematologist at KBC Zagreb, told the journalists that a few months ago only 150 persons were entered into the Registry, but since the start of the campaign initiated by recently deceased Vjesnik journalist, Ana Rukavina, after whom the Foundation was named, the number increased several times, just as the probability to find matching bone marrow donor for those fallen ill from leukemia and lymphoma.
He announced that during January all collected blood samples will be analyzed, their gene profile will be made and everything will be enlisted to the bone marrow donor database, so that Croatia could join world bone marrow donor Registry in February.
Mrsić underlined that 50 people fallen ill from acute leukemia that need bone marrow transplantation is registered every year. Out of that number 20 people receive the bone marrow from family members, 15 of them look for a donor and only 3-4 patients actually find one.
The president of the Croatian leukemia and lymphoma Association, Tomo Lučić, informed us that the main goal was achieved by a series of campaigns in December because the citizens now respond more to the invitations of becoming potential bone marrow donors.
Humanitarian concert “I want life!”, which was held on December 21st on Ban Jelačić square in Zagreb, all the calls to phone line 060 585 024 and all payments to Foundation’s transfer account raised more than two million kunas and the campaign continues already tomorrow on Matija Gubec square in Karlovac where all interested people will have the opportunity to donate blood for blood typization in a specially set tent.
At the end of February, Croatian national theater in Zagreb will give a humanitarian performance. The campaign “The cure is within us” starts in March and it will culminate on March 28th, on Ana’s birthday, when the campaigns will be held on main squares of many Croatian towns. The Foundation plans to celebrate the year end with big new humanitarian concert on Ban Jelačić square.
Foundation founders thanked to all the media for covering the campaigns and attracting citizens to become donors. Ana’s mother, Marija Rukavina did the same and said that she is very proud that her daughter was a journalist.
“Thank you for encouraging people to become voluntary marrow bone donors so that Croatia can enter into the world registry. That was Ana’s wish ever since she found out about her illness, said Marija Rukavina.
