THE STAFF MAGAZINE OF THE ELRINGKLINGER GROUP NO. 1 ...

KMS
g E R M A N b O N E M A R R O W D O N O R R E g I s T E R
Every individual counts
It’s like a complicated jigsaw puzzle
with millions of pieces – based in Tübingen, the
Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei (DKMS –
German Bone Marrow Donor Register) has taken
on the vitally important task of finding suitable
stem cell donors for patients with leukemia, a dis -
ease diagnosed in Germany every 45 minutes.
The odds of the tissue types of any two people
matching range from one in 20,000 to one in
several million.
For this the organisation is reliant on both
cash donations and committed people like Jessica
Feil, an employee in the Aftermarket division at
ElringKlinger, who some time ago added her name
to the stem cell donor register. Within a ten year
period, at most only five out of a potential 100 do -
nors are actually asked to provide a bone marrow
donation, and Jessica Feil was one of them. Even
though the success rate is as high as eighty per
cent, unfortunately the hoped-for cure was not
achieved in this instance. Nevertheless, Jessica
remains firmly convinced that leukemia patients’
chances of survival are enhanced by adding as
many people as possible to the register.
In principle, everyone aged between 18 and
55, and in good health, can donate stem cells. It
is now also possible to register online, and then
receive a registration kit (a cheek swab using cotton
buds) in the post. People can also continue to
register as usual at one of the permanent DKMS
centres, or take part in public stem cell match -
ing campaigns, for example those held by companies
or clubs. The DKMS has to cover the cost –
50 euros – of each individual matching with cash
donations received.
With more than 2.2 million registrations,
the DKMS is the world’s largest stem cell donor
register and over the last 19 years has made
possible almost 23,000 stem cell transplants.
(www.dkms.de)
42 PEOPLE
Jessica Feil at an
information event –
her support for the
DKMS is as strong
as ever
E L R I N g K L I N g E R / b R A z I L
Paving the way to a
healthy lifestyle
PIRACICABA. Good intentions alone do not always
translate into success – particularly when it comes to health
and sport. That’s why, here in Brazil, we have joined forces
with occupational health practitioners and physiotherapists
to launch a programme encouraging employees to adopt
healthy lifestyles. The programme includes free physiotherapy
treatment and massages as well as daily workplace exercises.
The active involvement of managers encourages as many em -
ployees as possible to join in.
The “Programme to Promote Health and Quality of
Life” was introduced in 2008 in conjunction with the Santa
Casa Hospital in Piracicaba. The central aim is to help
people to make informed changes to their lifestyle via dedicated
training courses and learning processes. The reasoning
is that people who switch to a healthy, active way of life gen -
erally become more efficient and more content.
Right at the beginning of the partnership, we initiated
the “Healthy Walk” event for employees and their families,
and this took place in 2010 for the third time in the leisure
complex in Piracicaba. On 19 September, 250 people gathered
to take part in health-promoting activities such as exercises
and games. It was a great opportunity to meet people and to
improve team spirit in a relaxed atmosphere.
(Natalia de Lucca, Amanda Aldrigui)
Putting their best foot
forward: Employees from
ElringKlinger do brasil
and their families take part
in a healthy walk