Czech family's plea for bone marrow donor sparks nationwide response
The story of two-year-old Madlenka, who urgently needs a bone marrow donor for a rare illness, has moved many people across Czechia. Two weeks ago, her father shared a heartfelt video urging people to join the donor registry. Since then, thousands have responded, signing up from all corners of the country.
Madlenka was a healthy child until early March when a rash suddenly appeared on her face. At first, no one thought it was serious, attributing it to her love of tomatoes. But when her parents took her to the hospital, they discovered it wasn’t just a rash – it was petechiae, a sign of severe platelet deficiency. Madlenka’s body had stopped producing red and white blood cells, along with platelets.
Things moved quickly from there. Doctors first tested Madlenka’s parents and her three older siblings to see if any could be a match, as her father, Lukáš Přibyl, explained to Czech Radio:
“The siblings understood the situation completely. We all had to go for blood tests to see if we could be suitable donors. We explained everything to them, and they immediately said they’d donate. They even said they’d give her a bone of their own if necessary – they’d do anything.”
When doctors couldn’t find a match in the family, Mr. Přibyl reached out to the public. Since his appeal, thousands have joined the donor registry, with some sites even running out of sample kits.
There were long lines at the IKEM in Prague this past weekend. Many volunteers were parents, deeply moved by Madlenka’s story. One mother shared with Czech Radio:
“I have a one-year-old son, so I really felt for her. I mean, I don’t expect it to be me, but it’s something that has to be tried.”
Marie Kuříková, head of the registry at the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, says they’ve never seen such a wave of volunteers. Normally, they receive only a few new registrations each day, but now dozens, even hundreds, of people have come forward. However, she adds that finding a match isn’t easy:
“Finding a match outside the family is like looking for a needle in a haystack. To find one donor, we need thousands in the registry. There are about 170,000 people in the Czech registry and 40,000 in ours, but we need more.”
The sample testing process can take several days to weeks. So far, no donor has been found for Madlenka, but she is already undergoing specialized treatment at the Motol Hospital.
Currently, over 40 patients – including around 14 children – are waiting for a suitable bone marrow donor. Madlenka is one of them. Since the first transplant in 1989, over 750 children have undergone bone marrow or hematopoietic cell transplants in Czechia, with around 30 new cases each year.
The bone marrow donor registry is open to healthy people between 18 and 35, and in some cases, up to 40. They can donate cells or marrow up to age 60, though younger donors are preferred.
Most donations involve a few hours in the hospital, where the donor is connected to a machine similar to one used for blood donations. In some cases, marrow donations take about an hour and a half under general anesthesia.
