Admission to the centre is free, with activities, talks and surprises in store throughout the day. Anybody wishing to become a bone marrow donor can also register for this. Becoming a donor means taking a simple blood test. It is important to keep reserves at optimum levels throughout the year and to make it possible to find donors who are compatible with all patients.
The programme for the day is as follows:
- 11 am, opening and karate display
- 11 am to 12.30 pm, family workshops with firefighters
- 12.30 pm, information talk from the Blood and Tissue Bank, with accounts from those who have received donations
- 5 pm to 6.30 pm, family workshops with firefighters
- 6.30 pm, information talk from the Blood and Tissue Bank, with accounts from those who have received donations
The family workshops will include a dynamic tour around the exhibition at the museum, addressing prevention and self-protection questions for people of all ages. There’s also a chance to discover a real fire engine, all with the Barcelona Fire Service.
Throughout the day, from 11 am to 8 pm, visitors will be able to register to become bone marrow donors, with solidarity stands from the Fundació Carreras and the Bombers Solidaris, which will also be having a collection to raise funds for the foundation.
The collaborators in this initiative are: Bombers Solidaris de Barcelona, the Blood and Tissue Bank, the Official Barcelona Association of Nurses and the Hospital Clínic.
Who can be a bone marrow donor?
Men between the ages of 18 and 30 are the ideal bone marrow donors. Even so, anybody up to the age of 40 and in good health can sign up.
Those wishing to donate bone marrow must go to a hospital with a blood bank or to a blood donation campaign such as the one at the Espai Bombers on Saturday. At the same time as giving a blood sample, a saliva sample is taken that will indicate the person’s compatibility.
It is also possible to sign up for the register without giving a blood sample, as a small sample of saliva is enough to check compatibility.