Long-term donor follow-up
DKMS follows the general prescribed standards for follow-up of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). The wellbeing of the donors has top priority at DKMS; we carry out an even closer follow-up than prescribed by WMDA.
The long-term donor follow-up programme is carried out by our Donor Follow-up Team.
After the first follow-up questionnaire, subsequent questionnaires will be sent out :
- initially six months after your donation, then
- once a year until ten years have passed.
The DKMS team check the questionnaires very carefully and will contact you immediately if there is a need for any extra clarification.
You can also contact our team at any time outside of the follow-up sessions! They will be happy to answer your questions and help you further.
The wellbeing of the donors is top priority at DKMS and we follow the general prescribed standards for follow-up of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA).
We contact donors annually so that we can be kept up to date with any health changes, as some health conditions may effect a donors eligibility to donate again.
Very rarely, some donors may have health changes that may affect the recipients treatment. In such cases, a member of the follow up team will be in contact to ask some further questions.
After a stem cell donation, the body regenerates the stem cells within a few weeks. The follow-up programme includes a blood values test four weeks after donation to make sure that the relevant blood values have returned to normal.
Only if a blood value needs to be rechecked will we ask for additional blood tests.
After your donation, the follow up will explain the reservation process and together, we will decide what happens next.
The majority of donors are temporarily reserved on the stem cell register for a period of two years, remaining committed to the patient they’ve donated to. This means they will not be matched with any other patients during this time.
In rare cases, the patient may require an additional donation. If this happens, we will reach out to the donor.
Please note, an additional donation is entirely voluntary.
If you are identified as a potential blood stem cell match for someone, we ask that you do not donate blood from the time of confirmatory typing. Your confirmatory typing will take place after you are identified as a potential donor.
Following your donation, we ask you not to donate blood until six months after a peripheral blood stem cell donation and 12 months after a bone marrow donation.
Please return your follow-up questionnaire to followup@dkms.org.uk.
If you no longer wish to participate in the follow-up programme, either
- note this information on your questionnaire, or
- email followup@dkms.org.uk, or
- telephone 020 8747 5660.
