Cancer patient (18) continues her giving ways
The first thing Daniella Snyman asked her doctor when she was diagnosed with leukaemia was whether she would be allowed to donate blood one more time before she received chemotherapy.
The 18-year-old Rynfield resident was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia on July 23.
Daniella’s love for helping others by donating blood has always been a big part of her life.
“Daniella is very passionate about donating blood and, from the first time she was allowed to, she has been donating blood at her school (Boksburg High School) whenever there is a blood drive,” said her mother, Dawn Viljoen, a teacher at Arbor Primary School.
“I know that if it was someone else Daniella would be first in line to donate blood.”
Although the teenager can no longer offer her life saving blood, others did at her former primary school on September 10.
The Arbor Primary School Blood Drive was held to collect blood and create cancer awareness.
Teachers at the school, friends of the family, the parents of the pupils and some CMS employees joined in to rack up the blood stock levels.
Dawn said her daughter could, unfortunately, not attend the blood drive, as she is being cared for in the Pretoria East Hospital.
The Arbor educator said the blood drive will help Daniella and many other people.
“The chemo and the leukaemia will cause her white cell counts and platelet levels to drop,” Dawn explained.
“She will need to receive platelet transfusions every time her levels drop below a certain point.
“This helps her body to fight infections.
“She has had six blood transfusions and six platelet transfusions to date.”
In spite of Daniella’s disease, she continues giving to others.
She requested a Lazy Boy chair in hospital, but returned it when she heard that a 14-year-old boy was in need of a bone marrow transplant.
She asked for the chair’s money to go toward the boy’s operation.
Dawn said her daughter strives to help others, a quality instilled in her by her dance teacher, Gill Henning.
The South African National Blood Service’s public relations practitioner for the Benoni branch, Terrance Pillay, thanked everyone for their support in collecting 150 units of blood on the day.
