Miha's foundation is launching a stem cell collection at the Maracana

The registry of hematopoietic stem cell donors of Serbia is located within the Institute for Blood Transfusion of Serbia and was formed in 2005, in cooperation with and under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. It is a National Registry that serves to connect people to the registry, which will find suitable stem cell donors for patients who need it. These are people suffering from acute leukemia and other blood malignancies. Unfortunately, there are more and more such patients in our country whose cure requires a transplant.

The action "Red and white blood" has been organized at the "Rajko Mitić" stadium for years, and it is the 27th in a row. The foundation of the former legendary player of our club Sinisa Mihajlović, with the desire to help as many patients as possible, strives to make donating stem cells part of the star's duty and to collect a large number of new members of the National Registry at the Maracana.

Dr. Gloria Blagojević pointed out that it is extremely important that a large number of citizens get involved.

- Since 2012, we have been part of the World Registry, and thanks to that, many patients can have a transplant in their country, without having to travel abroad. People stay in their country and transplant centers, they are not separated from their families. That is why we are trying to have as many of us as possible in the national register. Unfortunately, Siniša Mihajlović was one of the patients, he was transplanted and he recovered for a while, but leukemia is such a disease that you never have a guarantee that you will survive. Transplantation is the only way for these people to have hope of survival, that's why we try to have as many of us as possible in the country. If we are from the same ethnic area and of the same nationality, there is a greater possibility that we will be compatible - pointed out Gloria Blagojević, head of the Business Management Department of the Register of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donors of Serbia.

The procedure for donating stem cells is completely safe and painless for the one who donates blood, and for the one who receives the stem cells it means complete and only hope for life. Nowadays, stem cells are given quite simply from peripheral blood. A small amount of blood passes through a machine called a separator, which separates the stem cells. It is a small part that means nothing to the donors, it cannot harm them, but to the one who receives stem cells in one bag as a blood transfusion, it means a whole life.

There are two procedures. People join the Registry by filling out an additional questionnaire when donating blood, and then when donating blood, where another additional tube is taken. You should be healthy as a blood donor, between the ages of 18 and 45. If it happens that the donor matches one of the patients, then they are contacted in order to enter into the further procedure.

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