Patient Services

Every Journey Begins with a Diagnosis

Being diagnosed with a blood cancer or blood disorder can feel overwhelming. Alongside the emotional impact, you may be faced with new medical terms, treatment decisions and uncertainty about what lies ahead. Every patient's journey is different, and the path you follow will depend on your diagnosis, your overall health and the treatment recommended by your healthcare team.

While the journey may seem unfamiliar, you do not have to face it alone. Our Patient Services team is committed to supporting patients and their families by providing trusted information, practical guidance and access to services that help make the treatment journey easier to understand.

Supporting You Throughout the Treatment Journey

A blood stem cell transplant is not a single procedure but a journey made up of many important stages. It may begin with understanding your diagnosis and treatment options before moving to donor searches, transplant preparation, treatment and recovery.

Throughout this process, patients and families often have questions about what to expect, how donor matching works, what happens before a transplant and how recovery is managed afterwards. By providing reliable information and ongoing support, we aim to help patients feel informed and empowered throughout each stage of their care.

Helping Patients Access Treatment

Finding a suitable donor is one of the most important parts of the transplant journey, but it is only one aspect of the care patients may need. Accessing treatment can involve medical, logistical and practical challenges, and every patient's circumstances are different.

DKMS Africa works alongside transplant centres and healthcare professionals to support the donor search process and facilitate services that contribute to successful transplantation. We also offer programmes designed to improve access to treatment where appropriate and continue working to remove barriers that may prevent patients from receiving potentially lifesaving treatment.

Supporting Families and Caregivers

A diagnosis affects more than the patient alone. Parents, partners, siblings, relatives and friends often become an essential source of strength throughout treatment and recovery.

We recognise the important role families and caregivers play and strive to provide information that helps them better understand the transplant journey, prepare for each stage of treatment and feel more confident in supporting their loved one. By helping families understand what to expect, we hope to make an incredibly challenging time a little easier to navigate together.

Building Hope Through Communities

Communities often ask how they can help someone waiting for a stem cell transplant. One of the most meaningful ways is by encouraging more eligible people to register as potential stem cell donors.

Community donor registration drives bring together families, friends, schools, universities, workplaces and local organisations to raise awareness about blood cancers and blood disorders while growing the stem cell donor registry. Every new registered donor has the potential to become a lifesaving match for a patient in need, helping create hope for more people searching for a second chance at life.

Here for Every Step

Whether you have recently been diagnosed, going through treatment or are preparing for a blood stem cell transplant, supporting a loved one or caring for patients as a healthcare professional, DKMS Africa is here to support you throughout the journey.

Our commitment extends beyond finding a donor. We are dedicated to helping patients access reliable information, understand their options and receive compassionate support from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.