In 1990, Katharina Harf’s life changed forever when her mother, Mechtild, was diagnosed with an acute form of blood cancer. Her family was told that a bone marrow transplant could save her mother's life, if she could find a matching donor. With the odds of finding a match ranging from one in 20,000 to one in millions, having only 3000 donors available in Germany at the time made the situation seem hopeless.

Determined to make the impossible, possible, Katharina’s father, Peter Harf, made it his mission to find his wife a donor. With the help of family, friends and volunteers, he worked tirelessly to recruit 68,000 bone marrow donors in only one year.

Recognizing that the need for bone marrow donors extended far beyond his wife, Harf, together with his wife's physician, Professor Dr. Gerhard Ehninger, founded Delete Blood Cancer DKMS Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei gGmbH (Translation: German Bone Marrow Donor Center) in Germany in 1991. Sadly, that same year, Mechtild lost her hard-fought battle with blood cancer. Katharina was only fourteen.

Katharina’s mother's death shaped her life in many significant ways. It motivates her to continue the lifesaving work that her father began in 1990. Katharina’s goal in life is to help other blood cancer patients, so that no family has to endure the pain hers suffered.

In 2004, Katharina led the expansion of Delete Blood Cancer into the United States. Through this effort, Delete Blood Cancer has established a national donor recruitment program to increase and diversify the donor registry. With campaigns throughout the U.S., Delete Blood Cancer is also raising awareness about the urgent need for bone marrow donors.

What began as a mission to save one woman, has become a global movement dedicated to saving everyone with blood cancer.

Please join us in the fight against blood cancer.

For information regarding credentials for Delete Blood Cancer DKMS please click here.