Register for Rowan by Stem Cell Donors Australia
Rowan, an 18-year-old second-year UQ Physiotherapy student and UQ Rugby trainer, is urgently seeking a stem cell donor to help in his fight against blood cancer. Stem cell donations are a critical tool in the management of a range of blood cancers and other blood disorders.
Currently, only 0.2% of eligible Australians aged 18–35 are registered as donors. That’s just 158,000 people compared to Germany’s 7 million, and 42 million donors globally. Over 80% of transplants for Australian patients come from overseas. It’s also vital to have donors from a wide range of ethnic and mixed-ethnic backgrounds. This is because the donor's and recipient's HLA markers - the immune system signature they inherit from both their parents — must match. Rowan is Eurasian, and along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, African and South Asian communities, donors from these backgrounds are critically under-represented in the global registry.
The Faculty of HMBS Student Experience Team and Stem Cell Donors Australia are encouraging UQ community members to join the registry with a simple cheek swab at our ‘Register for Rowan’ event at Student Central, St Lucia, on Thursday 18 September, from 10am to 1pm. The event will include a coffee cart, fresh donuts, and give UQ community members the chance to save a life.
To be eligible, you just need to be 18-35 years old and have a Medicare number.
You can find more information about Rowan and his appeal here and here.
About Student Experience Events
The School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences student experience events have been designed to offer students a comprehensive and enriching extra-curricular experience.
Ranging from social gatherings and wellbeing initiatives to impactful advocacy campaigns and employability workshops, students have the opportunity to not only develop their soft skills but also foster a strong sense of belonging within the community. By engaging in these activities, students can build meaningful connections with peers, staff, and professionals in various fields, thus creating a network that goes beyond the classroom.