Join DKMS Africa at Kibler Park Secondary School for their donor drive

The DKMS Africa (an NPO dedicated to fighting blood cancer and blood disorders) team will raise awareness, educate the public about blood cancers and disorders, and recruit donors to join the donor registry to save lives at Kibler Park Secondary School on April 22.

Valencia Hammond, a DKMS donor recruitment coordinator, said their goal is to assist Owami Mbele (26), who has severe aplastic anaemia (type of blood cancer) and urgently needs a blood stem cell transplant because the disease has attacked his body.

“Early in 2020, he noticed he could not perform in soccer matches in his usual way. He was very fatigued, but pushed through, hoping things would change, only to find out that he was diagnosed with severe aplastic anaemia. He has three siblings who are not a match, meaning his match will need to come from a stranger, and that could be you.

“The chances of being a match to a patient is 1:100 000. This is even more difficult for people of colour because less than 24% of the people on the registry are people of colour, and the chances of being a match for someone outside of your own race are less than 1%. This makes the chances of finding a match extremely low.

“It takes a child to raise a village. It takes one donor to save a life. In the same way, it takes everyone to register, but only one match to change a life.”

Hammond said the registration process on the day would take five minutes. Informed donors must complete a one-page form and do three cheek swabs to be analysed in a lab and added to the registry.

“Once on the registry, the donor will be available to all donors searching for a match,” said Hammond.

Hammond said music and five-a-side soccer would be part of the entertainment. There will also be food for sale. The drive will take place from 10:00 to 14:00.

“We look forward to the public’s response and hope many people join us,” said Hammond.

For more information, call Hammond on 082 555 7235.