The Caribbean Bone Marrow Registry aims to improve aid for those suffering from blood cancers or auto-immune blood diseases.

The Caribbean Bone Marrow Registry has launched a donor drive with the goal of reaching 1,000 donors by the end of the year.

The registry currently has only 400 registered donors throughout the Caribbean.

Arthur Dunk, Caribbean Bone Marrow Registry Director, said a bone marrow transplant may be the only hope of a cure for people suffering from blood cancers or auto-immune and other blood diseases.

Since the Caribbean is a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities with individuals possessing a distinct and unique genetic makeup – it makes it difficult for those needing a donor to find a match. With this being the case the more people added to the registry,  the greater the chance of survival for sick people fighting their diseases.

“We significantly need to increase these numbers to give our friends and family suffering from sometimes terminal blood and auto-immune diseases a fighting chance,” Dunk said.

“We have a population of nearly 40 million people in the Caribbean but only 400 people on our registry. We need to realize the significance of this shortfall and come together as a region to try and help save lives,”

In order to register more donors across the Caribbean, the registry has undertaken a concentrated marketing effort with the help of Tower, a leading Cayman Islands strategic communications agency, to rebrand and share its message across the region.

Those looking to register as a donor on the Caribbean Bone Marrow Registry can visit the Registry’s website at www.caribbeanmarrow.org for more information.