National GVHD Awareness Day

What is National GVHD Awareness Day?

On February 17, 2023, thousands of transplant recipients and their loved ones will band together to raise awareness about graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) – a difficult complication that affects roughly half of patients who undergo a transplant using stem cells from a donor (allogeneic transplant).

GVHD can be mild, moderate or severe. It can affect the skin, eyes, mouth, nails, sweat glands, joints, muscles, GI tract, liver, lungs, genitals and sometimes nerves.

It can affect appearance. It can be painful. It can interfere with many activities of daily living like eating, dressing, walking, vision, even breathing. 

It’s a stressful disease that can last a few months or many years, sometimes disappearing only to reappear again later. In its most severe form, GVHD can be life-threatening.

The first National GVHD Awareness Day on February 17^th will help raise awareness about the need for more research to prevent and treat this difficult complication. It will also highlight the need to better support the 15,000+ people whose daily life and happiness is currently affected by GVHD: physically, emotionally and financially.

What can you do to support people who are living with GVHD?

• Show your support for GVHD patients by wearing a FREE Conquer Graft-versus-Host Disease wristband available from BMT InfoNet. CLICK HERE to order.
• Talk to your family and friends about why we need to conquer GVHD and encourage them to wear a wristband as well.
• On February 17th, share photos of of you, your family and friends wearing the Conquer Graft-versus-Host Disease wristband and post a message of hope for GVHD patients on BMT InfoNet’s social media:
  
  • Facebook
  • Facebook Transplant Club
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
• Don't use social media?  Email your photo and message of hope to help@bmtinfonet.org and we’ll share the photo and message for you.
• View the GVHD Wall of Hope

Let’s join together to highlight the need for more GVHD research and patient support, so that those who conquered a deadly disease by undergoing a transplant can enjoy their second chance of life, free of GVHD.

CLICK HERE to order.free Conquer GVHD wristband

CLICK HERE to learn more about National GVHD Awareness Day.

CLICK HERE to read more about GVHD.

CLICK HERE to watch videos about GVHD

CLICK HERE to read GVHD Day Launch Press Relase