Our Impact

• 2015 UR the Cure was founded and incorporated as an association and registered as a charity with the ACNC (Australian Charities and Not For Profits Commission).

• 2019 UR the Cure became an official partner of the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) and their Strength to Give cheek swab program.

• 2023 UR the Cure changed its legal structure from an Incorporated Association to a Company Limited by Guarantee; forming a Board of Directors and acquiring DGR status (deductible gift receipt).

• 2024 UR the Cure is one of four organisations chosen nation-wide to be a donor recruitment partner of Stem Cell Donors Australia. UR the Cure gains accreditation and continues the official partnership with Stem Cell Donors Australia

UR the Cure continually advocates for changes in Australia to make it easier for people to join the donor registry, particularly for the introduction of cheek swab testing. Since 2017, UR the Cure has consistently engaged with governments to release held funds to support the implementation of cheek swab testing.

• In 2017 a submission was written to the government review of the transplant sector using the feedback and support of over 500 people who completed a survey commissioned by UR the Cure

• Pamela, founder of UR the Cure secures meetings over a number of years with various politicians and MP’s including State and Federal Health Ministers and even the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia

• UR the Cure engages with volunteers all around the country to help achieve advocacy goals, including with @biffrunner in 2022 who ran over 1000km for the “20-50” campaign to raise awareness for the introduction of cheek swab testing

• Coordinated a number of volunteers around Australia to hand deliver Sophie’s petition to introduce cheek swabs and other information to State and Federal Health Ministers; sparking a series of government meetings

• Engagement over the years with the Leukaemia Foundation to gain their support for cheek swab testing, including involvement in the feedback panel for their National Strategic Action Plan

• Worked closely with MP Robbie Katter’s office who helped advocate for the introduction of cheek swab testing into Australia; assisting with feedback for media releases and government correspondence and providing information

• Presented to the government’s clinical advisory group in 2022 for the introduction of cheek swabs

• A submission was written in 2023 to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Increasing Organ and Tissues Donors

• Media engagement and interviews plus more!

UR the Cure conducts various donor drive events in the community. As of 2023 these events have resulted in over 720 people joining the donor registry at in-person community donor drives and over 1,500 online order clicks for cheek swab kits.

During the cheek swab pilot program, UR the Cure was the 2nd highest performing partner in relation to the number of people joining the registry, just behind the Leukaemia Foundation!

UR the Cure was the only partner during the pilot program to deliver a matched donor!

Official numbers on how many people have joined through UR the Cure drives and activities only began to be reported on in September 2019 with the introduction of cheek swab testing and our partnership with Stem Cell Donors Australia, with several pauses on the availability of cheek swabs due to government funding issues. Prior to this, recruitment was done only through Red Cross Lifeblood and there was no official means of reporting possible. The above data relates to official reporting numbers, however actual numbers since UR the Cure was incorporated is expected to be much higher.

In 2016 the UR the Cure website was developed as a valuable resource. Simple and easy to read information about stem cell donation was basically non-existent in Australia when UR the Cure started, the Stem Cell Donors Australia website linked to ours as a source of information at the time. Our social media following continues to grow.

UR the Cure has developed an array of resources and programs over the years including workplace and community education programs, Sporty Stem Cells program, a resource toolkit to support community volunteers running donors drives and activities and more.

UR the Cure continues to conduct various educational presentations with key groups and organisations.

Over the years UR the Cure has presented to groups such as HSANZ (Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand), the University of Queensland’s School of Psychology Donor Research Network, Red Cross Lifeblood Centres, at various events including the Leukaemia Foundation’s Light the Night and Cancer Council’s Relay for Life, community education presentations with church youth groups, schools and more.

UR the Cure has been involved in extensive media engagement since 2012. Pamela, UR the Cure founder has featured in many interviews, news reports and programs over the years including on all major Australian TV network channels.

• UR the Cure has featured and directly involved in over 50 media stories in Australia (major newspapers, radio, magazines and television) and many more indirectly

• Facilitated press releases on behalf of searching patients leading to coverage on Channel 7 news and newspapers

• Appeared on Network 10’s “The Project” television program in 2016 as the only representative organisation for official comment and provided information about stem cell donation, with Pamela addressing common misconceptions, answering questions and providing information to the hundreds of comments on social media after the report. This highlights the gap we had in Australia that a grassroots organisation like UR the Cure stepped in to make the official comments and manage the publicity versus the peak body (Stem Cell Donors Australia), it’s one of the reasons why we lobby government to better support Stem Cell Donors Australia and thankfully we have come a long way since then!

• Engaged with media from some of the minority groups leading to interviews with SBS Arabic, Voice of Charity and Joy FM to raise awareness about stem cell donation in these communities

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UR the Cure has had various articles and newsletters published in different outlets over the years to raise awareness and educate the public on the importance of stem cell donation; including an article in the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia ePathway newsletter, Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand newsletter, Know Pathology Know Healthcare newsletter, Stem Cell Donors Australia annual reports, Barwon Health (Geelong University Hospital) “Auricle” publication, FECCA - Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia  E-News publication, Queensland Health article “The Drift” publication, blog post on the Donor Research Network website, various workplace newsletters and more.

UR the Cure has developed a strong network and managed healthy relationships with key stakeholders. The UR the Cure networks are diverse and varied and include hospitals, other not-for-profit organisations, culturally diverse organisations and groups, influential community leaders, overseas donor registries and organisations, government officials and politicians, patients and families.

UR the Cure also maintains a very strong and positive relationship with Stem Cell Donors Australia.

UR the Cure maintains a strong financial position; reporting positive revenue for every financial year since incorporation. This has mainly been sustained through community fundraising efforts.