2 minute read
Donate stem cells to save a life and give someone a second chance
Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi
Five-month-old baby girl Mackenzie Friedman was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AMl) in May. She requires regular blood and platelet transfusions in between her rigorous chemotherapy treatments. Affectionately referred to as “Mighty Mack”, Mackenzie’s mom has sent out an urgent plea for a donor, who could save her baby’s life. McKenzie’s story has galvanised South Africans from different parts of the country, leading to long queues at the dKMS offices countrywide. in Johannesburg alone, the organisation registered more than 100 people.
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As the country celebrated Youth day on June 16, there is an urgent request for young South Africans to mark the day or month by donating stem cells to save a life. Alana James, Country executive director at dKMS Africa, an international non-profit bone marrow donor centre, says, “if we can build the registry with younger potential donors from 18 years upwards, there is an increased chance that they will remain on the registry for a longer period of time. “this means that there is more of a chance that they will be matched with a patient in need, such as five-month-old baby girl Mackenzie Friedman who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AMl) on May 12, 2021.”
Hundreds of South Africans of all ages and races are diagnosed with diseases such as leukaemia, aplastic anaemia or some rare genetic disorders. in some instances, their only hope of survival is a blood stem cell transplant from a donor who shares the same tissue type. their chances of finding a match are about one in 100 000.
James points out that stem-cell transplants are a treatment option for more than 70 blood diseases.
“However, it is important to note that many factors come into play when finding a match for a patient, especially as many patients do not match with their families.
“As such, they often rely on unrelated matches in the hope to find a matching donor. essentially, this Youth day is an opportunity for us to encourage the youth to register as they have an opportunity to give someone a second chance at life.” James explains that to find a compatible donor, they need to have matching Human leukocyte Antigens (HlA).
“However, should the patient have more than one match, studies have revealed that the survival rate of patients who receive a transplant from a younger donor is significantly higher.”
dKMS Africa appeals to South Africa’s youth to take action and register to become blood stem cell donors this youth month to help the organisation save lives. “we encourage communities to register not only to increase the registry, but to also create a more ethnically diverse donor registry and subsequently save more lives.”
