Marnu Prinsloo loved playing outside, going to school and spending time with his family, as every other six-year-old boy does, until he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in June 2017.
“We were heartbroken, it was the toughest day of our lives. We never thought it would happen to us,” said Annezell Prinsloo, Marnu’s mother.
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Annezell started noticing that her son was very pale, had lymph nodes everywhere, experienced fevers and had a petechial rash all over his body. When Marnu complained about stomach cramps and fatigue, she knew something was wrong and took him to the doctor.
ALL is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. It is the most common type of cancer in children but can also occur in adults.
The joy both he and his family experienced after he completed his treatment in early August this year was short-lived as he relapsed later that month.
The unexpected news was devastating to his mother and his family.
Each year, 35 people in every million will learn that they have a blood disease, of whom five will be children.
Unfortunately, Marnu’s sister was not a match, and Marnu is looking for his genetic twin somewhere in South Africa or elsewhere in the world.
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Statistics reveal that 75 per cent of patients rely on an unrelated donor for their life-saving transplant.
Annezell encourages the public to raise awareness and register as potential stem cell donors.
The Sunflower Fund partnered by DKMS continues to recruit potential stem cell donors to help patients like Marnu and many others searching for a life-saving match.
If you are between the ages of 18 and 55 years, with a BMI of less than 40 and a consistent body weight of 50kg you could be eligible to become a stem cell donor.
For more information or to register, visit www.sunflowerfund.org or call 0800 12 10 82. Be the hope, you could be the perfect match Marnu is searching for.
