Awareness campaign to attract new volunteer bone marrow donors

The “Choose Life” charitable organisation was founded by the family of Dimitris Lois, who was diagnosed with and passed away from acute myeloid leukemia, with the purpose of fulfilling his vision to combat hematological diseases and alleviate the suffering of patients. The mail goal of the Organisation is to expand the registry of volunteer bone marrow donors in order to increase the chances of finding a matching donor for patients in need of transplantation.In this context, in 2023, with the support of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, the awareness campaign titled “My Perfect Match” was launched and broadcast on nationwide TV channels in Greece and across the Organisation’s social media platforms. The campaign's goal was to raise public awareness, particularly among young people, about bone marrow donation and to encourage them to become volunteer donors and join the national and global bone marrow donor registries.

At the same time, the Organisation’s work is focused on two additional pillars: supporting research into new, promising treatments that could reduce patient mortality rates and improve quality of life, and providing holistic support to patients and their families. As part of these efforts, the Organisation established and operates the “Institute of Cell Therapy Dimitris Lois”, which collaborates with the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of the General University Hospital of Patras, focusing on translational research in cellular, gene, and regenerative therapies for haematological malignancies.

• 98 new volunteer bone marrow donors were registered in the donor registry.
• The campaign’s video spot reached 1,7 million unique views among individuals aged 18–44.

“Our goal is to raise awareness about becoming a volunteer bone marrow donor and to inform the public that the donation process is as simple as giving blood. During our campaign, 98 new volunteer donors registered, and a wider audience was informed about the donation process and the importance of this act.”

Mari Evgenidou-Lois

President & Founder, “Choose Life” Charitable Organisation