IN South Africa, every 72 minutes, a person is diagnosed with a life-threatening blood cancer and disorder, and their only chance at survival is through a blood stem-cell transplant.
Zamaswazi Dlamini (6) suffers from Fanconi Anaemia, while Inamandla Nkwanyana (12) and Luthando Majozi (16) are both diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. These girls need the urgent help of stem-cell donors.
They experience devastating challenges every day, battling blood cancer, while their families wait in hope for the day they receive a blood stem-cell match to change their circumstances. Until that match is found, it is up to each South African in good health and between the ages of 18–55 years to come forward and register to become a blood stem-cell donor.
“When Zama was born, she gave us hope because her older brother was born with Cerebral Palsy. We dreamed that she would be the one who would grow up and carry our family forward,” shared her mother, Zinhle.
For Inamandla Nkwanyana’s mother, Londiwe, it has been difficult because Inamandla is the only child of a single mother who is watching her daughter shamed because of how this illness has changed her appearance. “Her father passed away in 2019. It’s also hard because people keep asking why she doesn’t have any hair, and trying to explain what’s going on isn’t easy,” said Londiwe.
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Luthando’s mother says she felt like her child’s diagnosis was unreal. “I’ve seen this happen in movies, but I never thought it would happen to me or my children. I wish it was me instead,” she said when recalling how the news made her feel.
There is only a 1 in 100 000 chance of being a match to a patient; it is like finding your genetic twin.
This is why the non-profit, blood- cancer organisation, DKMS, is urging the public to participate in this fight against blood cancer because you could be that single chance that helps save their lives.
While there may be many fears and myths surrounding the process, DKMS Africa is committed to educating the public that the process is non-invasive and non-surgical. The process begins with a simple cheek swab to determine if you are a match.
On Saturday, November 26, DKMS Africa took up a space at The Playhouse Company in Durban Central to recruit ethnic stem-celldonors to help save these three girls. Patient Services and Donor Recruitment Manager, Xolani Hlongwane, said that these young girls’ cases are particularly critical as their ethnicity puts them at a further disadvantage.
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“According to various global studies, racial minorities are much less likely to find a suitable blood stem-cell donor than their counterparts of European descent. Patients of African descent have less than 20% likelihood of finding a match, compared to 75% for White patients. In addition, patients are more likely to find a stem-
cell match from donors of similar ethnicity, and much fewer Black South Africans are registered,” said Hlongwane.
If you would like to help these girls and their families and find out more about the stem-cell donation process, visit https://www.dkms- africa.org/ for more information.
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