#TakeTwo Campaign from DKMS Empowers Blood Cancer Survivors to Live Their Dreams

Everyone has dreams and goals they aspire to accomplish, but often, these get postponed for the future until life interferes, and they find themselves hoping for a second chance. This is exactly the premise of the content format from Serviceplan Cologne and DKMS. Under the theme 'A second chance at your dream,' former blood cancer patients are given a second chance to realise their dreams. The four-part series focuses on the real stories of former cancer patients. 

For many blood cancer patients, a stem cell donation is their only hope for a second chance at life. To encourage more people to become donors, Serviceplan Cologne and DKMS, a dedicated international charity organisation, have launched a new YouTube series #TakeTwo. Under the theme 'A second chance at your dream,' they support a former blood cancer patient in his dream of becoming a tattoo artist in the first season of the series. A second season of the YouTube format is already planned. 

"For many affected people, a stem cell donation is their only hope for survival. With #TakeTwo, we want to show people that a donation can make a crucial difference - and we do this using real stories of former patients who guide us through the second chance of their lives. Each of us can contribute and our YouTube format also demonstrates this." said  Dennis Berndt, social media manager at DKMS. 

Andy Wyeth, managing director of Serviceplan Cologne, explains, "#TakeTwo is very close to our hearts. With the new format, we aim not only to share authentic and real stories  of those affected, but also to counter fears with positive and forward-looking communication, creating awareness without negativity. We focus on the patients' stories while simultaneously highlighting the importance of stem cell donations."

The first season revolves around Daniel, who was diagnosed with leukaemia at just 19 years old. Thanks to a stem cell donation, he got a second chance at life and is now able to fulfil his dream – to become a tattoo artist. Serviceplan Cologne and DKMS have supported and accompanied him on this journey. The now 26-year-old was always sketching tattoo designs for his hospital caregivers while he was in the hospital. With #TakeTwo, he had the opportunity to undertake a six-week internship at Tattoo-Studio society ink in Cologne. His goal: To tattoo his former caregiver, with whom he still maintains a special bond. He is  mentored by Ricco, his coach and owner of the studio, who teaches Daniel the essential basics to get a step closer to his dream.  

Daniel’s journey was captured in a total of four episodes:  

The campaign is primarily aimed at a younger target group. Registrations from people aged 17 – 30 are particularly valuable, as they remain in the database for a long time and the  probability of donation is higher at a young age. 

Those who also want to become stem cell donors and help blood cancer patients get a second chance at life can easily request their registration set here.