The first mass climb of Cherni Vrah by transplant recipients in Bulgaria is taking place today. The initiator is ultramarathoner Dimitar Mihaylov. The goal of the climb is to promote donation, as well as stimulate physical activity among this group of people, reports the Bulgarian National Radio.
The start is from the "Aleko" hut on Vitosha, and the pace will be adjusted to the capabilities of the participants. The start was given at 09:00, and the meeting point is the fountain in front of the "Aleko" hut.
The route is: "Aleko" hut - Cherni Vrah - Mountain Training Sports Base "Prof. Ivan Staykov".
Pirinka Petrova, President of the Bulgarian Lymphoma Association, says that the Bulgarian Stem Cell Registry is constantly in need of new additions and updates. The larger number of donors in the registry increases the possibilities for treating hundreds of patients from Bulgaria and the world with hematological and other diseases, for whom transplantation remains the only chance for life:
"In many cases, when chemotherapy and radiotherapy do not work sufficiently, the only solution is transplantation. Sometimes it is possible with a person's own stem cells, but sometimes it is not possible, because they are damaged, and a suitable donor is sought. That is why such registries have been created, where people voluntarily register, to be searched for, if such a person appears who matches in more indicators, the DNA is tested so that they can give him their stem cells.
The National Public Stem Cell Bank is part of the Clinical Immunology Clinic of the University Hospital "Aleksandrovska".
The Bulgarian Registry for Bone Marrow and Peripheral Stem Cell Donors is a member of the World Registry, which has more than 39 million people from over 55 countries.
All clinically healthy people between the ages of 18 and 55 are suitable for donation. In Bulgaria, however, there are less than 4 thousand donors:
"Some kind of state policy is needed to promote this, to understand how important it is and how easily achievable it is. The registry itself works quite slowly, perhaps it is not sufficiently funded".
And the climb to Cherni Vrh is again a call and a sign:
"The message is to all people who have hearts - to know that one day, set aside from their lives, in which they will not go to work or will not fulfill their duties, but will go, if necessary at all, to the hospital and save a life, I think is enough. And the inclusion in the registry itself does not require any time".