The Tobias register needs more donors with a non-European background and guys

The Tobias register is the Swedish register for donors of blood stem cells to sick patients. This could, for example, be about patients who have suffered from some kind of blood cancer, such as leukemia.

Among all patients, the chance of finding a suitable donor is 70 percent. Among patients with a non-European background, the chance is between 10 and 30 percent.

Why does ethnic background matter?

- What you want to match is the tissue type. It is something that you have inherited from your parents. It is for the transplant to work, says Sara Tidholm, press spokesperson at the Tobias registry.

Looking for more guys

Because the Tobias register cooperates with other registers around the world, Khadar Farah was one of 45 million registered.

- And he is one of those who has been matched the fastest. So for him to get a match so soon means that he was really, really needed on the roster.

In addition to people with a non-European background, more guys are also needed in the Tobias register.

- The more people who join, the better. Imagine having that with you all your life, that you have saved a life, says Sara Tidholm.