Queenslanders urged to donate blood and join the stem cell donor registry as 82% of transplants currently sourced overseas

Queenslanders have been urged to register as stem cell donors as the nation’s donor pool is struggling to meets the needs of Australian patients, with 82 per cent of transplants having to be sourced from overseas. SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP

Queenslanders have been urged to register as stem cell donors as the nation’s donor pool no longer meets the needs of Australians.

The Courier-Mail revealed on Thursday that six-year-old Queensland boy Mateoh Eggleton’s hopes of survival had been jeopardised after a bone-marrow transplant was left on the tarmac in the US instead of being loaded on a flight to Brisbane.

Mateoh Eggleton is a six-year-old who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called chronic granulomatus disease which has become terminal. He’s pictured with his mum Shalyn. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Mateoh’s mum Shalyn Eggleton pleaded with Australians to join the stem cell donor list currently done in conjunction with blood donation.

Blood donors under 35 can opt-in to the stem cell registry and the blood service will assist them by taking an extra sample and registering them.

In 2021 the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) exhausted funding received from the federal government for their Strength to Give swab based donor enrolment forcing them to pause the program.

CEO of The ABMDR Lisa Smith hoped government health ministers meeting on Thursday will introduce funding to make donor registration easier.

“We have run two demonstrations to show how joining the registry is conducted everywhere else in the world where a cheek swab is posted to you, you post it back and then it’s done,” she said.

As the process stands, the Australian donor registry is shrinking, with 82 per cent of transplants being sourced from overseas donors.

“We don’t recruit enough, it’s a numbers game and we get about 6000 new donors a year at the moment, but we’re losing 8000 a year as you are retired from the registry when you turn 60,” she said.

“If you’re donating to an infant, you want those cells to be as young as possible, but we tend to get older donors through blood services.”

Until the funding is introduced younger Queenslanders under 35 are encouraged to enquire about joining the stem cell donor registry when they donate blood.

If potential stem cell donors are not eligible to donate blood and wish to join the registry they can contact Lifeblood on 13 14 95 to discuss their options.