Christiana Papakyriakou is a 25-year-old nurse from Xylofagou who with a simple act will give life to a fellow human being.
She found herself compatible and this, as she told us, is the most beautiful gift she has ever given in her life.
Speaking in an interview with larnakaonline, he said the following
When and how did you make the decision to become a donor?
I made the decision to become a bone marrow donor when I was a student in Patras in 2012 when I heard that a child was looking for a donor and so I went and gave a sample. After 7 years my phone rang from the Karaiskaki Foundation and I was told that I was a compatible bone marrow donor.
What were your first feelings when you were told you were compatible?
The truth is that I did not believe it. I felt the happiest person in the world because it is very important to be able to give life to your fellow man. And one more reason is that I see what patients are experiencing in the workplace where I am that these people really have a long way to go.
How did this experience change your life?
This experience I experienced was one of the most important of my life. It was a great life lesson that reminds you to live, to love and to offer and at the same time to appreciate what you have. It was the greatest gift I could ever give to someone without compensation and at no cost. I consider it a blessing to be given this opportunity to give life to a fellow human being.
How important is bone marrow donation for Cyprus?
Every year thousands of patients are diagnosed with blood cancer such as leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell disease and other life-threatening diseases, where a bone marrow transplant from a compatible donor is the best treatment option to save their lives. Of all the bone marrow donors available and available worldwide, many patients cannot find a compatible donor. A patient can expect someone like you. You could be the one to save a life.
Do you think that most people do not know, are afraid or just do not care and do not do it?
I believe that most people are just afraid of the process. It is not a difficult process, it is tolerable. And I believe that we should not think about the process but that we will give life to a fellow human being who hopes every day that he can live as we do. Each of us at any time in our lives may need an implant. Think that you can make a person happy and the simplest to make him smile.
What message would you like to give to those who may be hesitant to become donors?
Become a donor, become the hero of someone who really needs you… It is not difficult with a little saliva in a cotton swab. Give life, give smiles.