Donor Day at the Ice Palace on 15 September

SKA Hockey Club, as part of the #SKAKindness project, together with the Bone Marrow Donation Development Centre, will hold a campaign in Saint Petersburg for people to join the Federal Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

This will be the third event of its kind.

On the eve of World Bone Marrow Donor Day, fans who want to become potential bone marrow donors and who have no health or weight restrictions will be able to join the Federal Bone Marrow Donor Registry during SKA's home match against Lada Tolyatti.

Furthermore, everyone who attends the match will witness a rare event - a meeting between a donor and a recipient. Last season, a similar meeting already took place at the Ice Palace in front of more than 10,000 people.

To join the ranks of potential bone marrow donors and possibly give someone a chance at life, you must donate a buccal epithelium sample - a smear from the inside of the cheek, fill out donor forms and other necessary documents at the Bone Marrow Donor Development Centre counters located in the arena foyer near sector 216.

The cure for cancer is in each of us!

Factfile

World Bone Marrow Donor Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of each September. This year it falls on 21 September.

According to the Russian Ministry of Health, at least 5,100 people need a bone marrow transplant every year.

The donation procedure is painless, and the donor chooses the preferred method of donating cells - by transfusing blood from a vein (the procedure takes 4-5 hours, no anesthesia is required) or from the pelvic bone under general anesthesia (the procedure takes about 40 minutes).

The donor's bone marrow is completely restored within two to four weeks.