Ezer Mizion is taking the ethnic genie out of the bottle. Genetic matching between donor and recipient is essential for a successful bone marrow transplant. As genetic matching is based on ethnicity, a representation of all ethnic groups in the Registry is vital.  

Lack of awareness of the importance of donating blood marrow, together with superstitions prevalent among certain ethnic groups, have led to a serious shortage of potential donors for patients in these groups. This tragic situation too often culminates in the patients' death.

The organization has initiated a special campaign called "The Ethnic Genie," which calls upon the members of specific ethnic groups to donate bone marrow and help save fellow members of their group. The first stage consists of a donor drive among members of the Bukharin community, in order to enhance the presence of Bukharin potential donors in the registry.

Today, it is not politically correct to mention a person's ethnic background. But where a bone marrow donation is concerned, ethnic background is a very weighty factor. The first place to look is among the patient's family members. The next stop is among people of similar genetic characteristics, such as member of the same ethnic group.

In an effort to increase the proportion of positive responses for patients seeking non-related donors, Ezer Mizion continually makes use of analytical statistics.  A recent probe shows that a number of ethnic groups are barely represented in the Registry.  For example, members of the Ethiopian community, despite their significant ratio to the general population, comprise only 0.53% of the Registry. The Georgian community comprises only 0.65% of the pool, and the Bukharin's just 0.35%. This is in contrast to the very high number of donors from the Moroccan community - 21.1% of the registry, and the Russian community - 20.6%.

The main reasons for the shortage are a lack of awareness of the importance of the donation and ignorance regarding the medical procedure of stem cell collection, which is a relatively simple process that does not require undergoing sedation or entering an operating room.

The shortage of potential donors from these ethnic groups has cost the lives of patients for whom no matching donor was found. In other cases, even when a compatible donor is located, he often will hesitate to donate his stem cells. For example, recently a child from the Bukharin community urgently needed a bone marrow donation. Two matching donors were found. Ezer Mizion staff relaxed in the knowledge that the child's life would now be saved. However, that was not the case.  Both donors from his ethnic group refused to go ahead with the donation. The child died. 

To avoid such situations, Ezer Mizion has launched a far-ranging campaign to increase representation from these groups in the Registry, beginning with a promotional awareness campaign. Incorporated into framework of the annual Bukharin Congress in Jerusalem, was a drive to rally bone marrow donations among group members in order to create a greater Bukharin presence in the Registry.

"I call upon all members of the Bukharin community participating in the Congress to approach the station and give a small blood sample. Joining the Registry now may, perhaps in the future, enable you to save the life of a fellow Bukharin," said Registry Director Dr. Bracha Zisser.    

Similar campaigns among other ethnic groups are planned for the future. In addition, an on-line portal was set up for people who have difficulty getting to the collection station to give a blood sample. At the website, a person can leave his personal information, including ethnic origin, and if the need arises to find a potential donor for a member of his community, Ezer Mizion will make contact with him.

"This is an incomparably important project that can save many lives," Zisser concludes.