Interview with Patimat Abdurakhmanova
Your work is about stem cell donation. Why did you decide to dedicate a publishing project to this topic?
Our region has a high donor potential, but there are few real donors of stem cells. People had the wrong idea about, we decided to change the situation, conduct an educational program with the help of visual agitation - a bright and interesting brochure.
The main character is a young donor Shamil Suleymanov. Why did you decide to go down this path: choose a specific person for stem cell donation?
Shamil's personality is unique, he is sincerely passionate about donation. At the very first conversation with him - we did a video interview - I realized that he can be the hero of the brochure. He is open, sociable and, importantly, by age he belongs to our target audience - young people. First of all, we want to reach the young generation, as people in the older group have already made their choice. Those who wanted to become a stem cell donor are already helping, the rest are consciously unwilling to take this step.
Shamil shares his experience in detail, answering questions in the broshure. What questions, the most important ones, did you ask him?
Information is based on the most worrying questions from the respondents. Many people get scared, when they hear about stem cell donation (especially if you use the term “bone marrow”). They falsely believe that blood donation is performed surgically. Some people imagine removing an organ, others believe that a donation will harm their health. Our task was to tell the truth: dispel fears, disprove myths.
How do you spread the brochure?
We spread them at different venues - conferences, forums and events with a large number of visitors. Volunteers distribute booklets on the streets and parks. Soon we will begin a series of lectures in higher educational institutions dedicated to the "Live" project. We will also tell about the booklet and offer it.
Do you keep response statistics - how many potential donors called the hotline thanks to the booklet?
We recorded calls to the hotline during promotions. On average, about 30 calls per event. Considering that booklets are distributed in the amount of about 100 pieces, I consider this as a good result.
What new creative projects about donation do you plan?
I have already mentioned cooperation with universities. We are also working on a project to encourage stem cell donors.
And our traditional question: what would you wish donors and those who are going to join the donor program?
I wish them take care and continue to help people, continue to save lives, do the most important and responsible thing for any person - helping others. For those who want to join, but have doubts, I want to say that the time they spend thinking, not daring to take the first step, deprives them of peace of mind and a sense of accomplishment. This peace can only be felt when you have helped a person save his life.
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