• 18 to 35 years old

• Hold a valid Medicare card (green or blue)

• Willing to donate anonymously to any patient in Australia or overseas (note you never have to travel overseas to donate)

You’ll also need to answer “no” to the following questions:

• Have you ever been diagnosed with thalassaemia major, sickle cell disease, Fanconi anaemia or haemophilia?

• Have you ever received an organ or bone marrow transplant?

• Have you ever suffered a stroke or heart attack?

• Have you ever had a positive test for HTLV or HIV?

• Have you had any past history of cancer, with the exception of two minor skin cancers – basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Pre-cancerous conditions like carcinoma in situ of the cervix are acceptable

Unfortunately you cannot join if have any of these auto-immune conditions:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus

• Multiple Sclerosis

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Type 1 diabetes mellitus

• Ulcerative colitis

• Crohn’s disease

• Ankylosing spondylitis

• Scleroderma

• Sarcoidosis

• Guillain-Barre syndrome

• Immune thrombocytopaenic purpura

Minor autoimmune diseases may be acceptable:

• Psoriasis

• Vitiligo

• Alopecia areata

• Coeliac disease

• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, if thyroid function is stable on replacement medication

• Grave’s thyroiditis, if thyroid function is stable after treatment

• Pernicious anaemia, if successfully treated

• Sjoegren’s syndrome, in the absence of serious auto-immune diseases

Generally if you only have one of these conditions you can join, but please email our partner for any health related questions at info@stemcelldonors.org.au

Traditionally many people were excluded from doing things like donating blood for various reasons.

The good news is that joining the blood stem cell donor registry is much easier!

People who have lived in the UK during the “mad cow disease” period, had male-to-male sex, gotten a tattoo, travelled overseas or engaged in intravenous drug use can join the registry! No questions asked!

We especially need people with ethnically diverse or indigenous backgrounds to join. Asian, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Indian, African, Eastern European, Southern Europe, First Nations people and more!

Biologically males are the ideal donor, with only 4% of registered donors being male, we need more young men to step up! And for any ladies joining, be sure to let the men in your life know!

Learn more about why we need people of diverse backgrounds to join and visit our FAQ page