This is more important than phones. Five-year-old Jindra needs help, and maybe it's from you

At Svět Androida, we usually cover phones, AI, computers, smart homes, and new technologies. Today, we’re making an exception. Because some things are simply more important than a new smartphone or the most powerful chip.

Five-year-old Jindra Ondrejka from Ostrov in the Karlovy Vary Region is battling acute T-ALL leukemia. Just a few weeks ago, he was a healthy boy, but during a holiday, he started feeling unwell, followed by a diagnosis that turned his family’s life upside down in an instant. Jindra underwent intensive chemotherapy, but it wasn’t sufficiently effective, and the next part of his treatment plan is a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. For this, a suitable donor needs to be found.

I also registered with the donor registry because of Jindra. It took a few minutes: a few details, a health questionnaire, and a swab from the inside of my mouth. I also promised Jindra’s dad that I would try to get their story to as many people as possible. And that’s why you’re reading this article, which the entire Svět Androida editorial team approved, even on a technology website.

Why are we writing about Jindra specifically? There are thousands of sick people, after all

Yes. Unfortunately, there are. We certainly don’t want to claim that Jindra’s life is more important than anyone else’s.

In this case, however, there’s one significant difference: each of us can do something very specific in a matter of minutes. And by registering, you’re not just helping Jindra. According to the Czech Bone Marrow Donor Registry at IKEM, there are currently more than 50 children and adults in the Czech Republic waiting for a transplant. If you’re not a match for Jindra, you could be the only suitable donor for someone else entirely in a year, five years, or ten years.

That’s why it makes sense for us to use our reach differently for once, rather than just informing about technology. We are not asking for money. We are asking you to consider registering.

How is a suitable donor found? It’s a bit like a huge “matching” system

Since we are a technology website, we can very simply compare the entire process to searching for compatibility in a huge database. From the sample taken during registration, the laboratory determines your HLA markers – inherited markers on the surface of white blood cells that play a crucial role in whether the recipient’s body accepts the donated cells.

The term “genetic twin” is sometimes used. This does not mean, of course, that doctors are looking for a person with the exact same complete DNA. A very good match is sought precisely in the important HLA markers. The blood type does not even have to be the same.

Czech registries are linked to international databases, so a suitable donor is not sought only in one city or in the Czech Republic. The problem is that there is an enormous number of HLA marker combinations. Therefore, even databases with tens of millions of volunteers may not contain an ideal donor for every patient. Every new person in the registry truly expands the search possibilities.

Registration is not donation. And no one will actually stick a needle in your spine

The words “bone marrow donation” unnecessarily deter many people, in our opinion. One can easily imagine a huge needle going somewhere into the spine. But that’s not how it works.

First, it’s important to distinguish two things. Registering with the database does not mean you will donate anything yet. Upon entry, only a sample is taken to determine HLA markers – typically a simple mouth swab at current recruitment events. The probability that a sufficiently compatible patient will actually be found later is only around 0.5 to 1%.

If a match is found, further detailed tests follow. Only if compatibility is confirmed and you are medically fit does the actual donation take place.

How does actual hematopoietic stem cell collection work?

Today, there are two main methods. Most collections are performed from peripheral blood using a separator. Several days before collection, the donor receives a stimulating agent, which causes a larger number of hematopoietic stem cells to be released from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. During the collection itself, blood flows through a device that separates the necessary cells, and the rest of the blood returns to the body. The procedure itself takes approximately four hours and is performed without general anesthesia.

The second option is collection directly from the bone marrow of the pelvic bones. Let’s emphasize the word pelvic – not from the spine. This method is used less frequently today, is performed under general anesthesia, and the donor does not feel pain during the procedure itself.

It wouldn’t be fair to say that actual donation is “absolutely nothing.” It is a medical procedure, requires preparation, time, and can be associated with several days of discomfort or fatigue. However, the reality is significantly less frightening than the myth of a needle in the spine that still persists among people. A detailed description of both methods can be found directly on the website of the Czech Bone Marrow Donor Registry at IKEM.

Who can register? Beware, there are two registries operating in the Czech Republic

There can be a bit of confusion here because two registries operate in the Czech Republic, and they have different upper age limits.

• Czech Bone Marrow Donor Registry at IKEM: entry at ages 18 to 40, i.e., until the 41st birthday
• Czech National Bone Marrow Donor Registry: entry at ages 18 to 35, i.e., until the 36th birthday

Generally, you need to weigh at least 50 kilograms and be in good health. IKEM also lists valid public health insurance in the Czech Republic and the absence of permanent medication, with some exceptions, among the basic conditions. However, the health criteria are more detailed, so if you are unsure, for example, due to a past illness, medication, tattoos, or other circumstances, do not rule yourself out and check the complete IKEM conditions or ČNRDD conditions.

And one more important thing: you are not registering “only for Jindra.” Registration means that, in case of a match, you are ready to help an anonymous patient who will need you – even someone on the other side of Europe or the world. Jindra might be the reason you decided to register. But your decision could one day save someone else entirely.

Where can you register in the coming days?

Several extraordinary recruitment events are taking place in September. If you are reading this article shortly after its publication, you have several options:

• September 14–18 – IKEM Prague, Vídeňská 1958, Prague 4, Monday to Friday 7:00 AM–3:00 PM
• September 15 – Bohumín, Salt Cave, 12:00 PM–5:00 PM
• September 16 – Karlovy Vary, Karlovy Vary Regional Library, 11:00 AM–4:00 PM, recruitment in cooperation with the Heroes Recruitment project
• September 18 – Mnichovo Hradiště, airport, NATO Children’s Day
• September 18–19 – České Budějovice, ČEZfest
• September 19–20 – Ostrava, NATO Days at Leoš Janáček Airport, 8:30 AM–5:00 PM
• September 19 – Prague, Kolektor café, 6:00 PM–12:00 AM
• September 26 – Dvůr Králové nad Labem, Safari Park, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
• September 26 – Prague, Heroes’ Day at the Exhibition Grounds, 11:00 AM–5:00 PM

An up-to-date list of events can be found on the websites of Daruj život / IKEM and the Heroes Recruitment project.

No event nearby? You can do the swab at home

You don’t have to travel across half the country to register. The Czech Bone Marrow Donor Registry at IKEM has dozens of permanent recruitment centers throughout the country. If you don’t have one nearby, you can contact the registry by phone at 236 055 582 and arrange for a mouth swab kit to be sent to your home.

Another network of recruitment locations is operated by the Czech National Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

“It’s almost impossible that I’ll be a match anyway.”

This is perhaps the most important point of the entire article. Yes, the probability that a specific registered person will actually proceed to donation is very small – the IKEM registry states it to be approximately between 0.5 and 1%.

But that’s precisely why the database must be huge. One person might not be a match. Not a hundred people. Not a thousand. But then one person comes along whose HLA markers match the patient’s exactly as needed. And for that person, it’s no longer a statistic. It’s a chance to get the transplant they’ve been waiting for.

What if you can’t register?

If you don’t meet the age or health requirements, you can still help. For example, by sending this article to someone between 18 and 40 years old, sharing a recruitment event in your city, or spreading the information among colleagues, classmates, or friends.

The testing of new donors can also be supported. HLA typing of initial samples is not typically covered by health insurance companies. This year, the Czech Bone Marrow Donor Registry at IKEM states the cost to be approximately 1,000 CZK per initial examination, and its funding is supported by, among others, endowment funds and donors.

And if you want to follow Jindra’s story directly and get current information from his family, you can find it on Instagram @jindrova.nadeje.

Do you have a few minutes and meet the conditions? Consider registering. Maybe no one will ever call. And maybe one day the phone will ring because you can give someone a chance to continue.