ONE of DKMS’s biggest annual fundraising and awareness-raising initiatives is coming up on September 16. DKMS stands for ‘Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei’, or German Bone Marrow Donor Centre, which has joined forces with the South African Sunflower Fund.
Called The Sunflower Day campaign, the fundraiser is centred on the sale of a multipurpose accessory called a Tube of Hope (TOPE), with funds going towards helping patients with life-threatening blood cancers and disorders like leukaemia, multiple myeloma and aplastic anaemia, to name a few. A TOPE can be worn as a headband, mask, scarf, cap or armband.
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Funds also go towards those who are in need of a lifesaving blood stem-cell (bone-marrow) transplant and to grow our patient support programme to help patients who cannot afford the cost of a transplant.
The overarching theme of the 2022 campaign is ‘United by Hope’ which encompasses what many of us feel and the expectations of patients looking for their lifesaving match.
In addition to the sale of TOPEs, DKMS is urging all supporters to consider planning a mini event or fundraiser to commemorate Sunflower Day 2022 and help with much-needed fundraising efforts to grow our patient support fund.