Donate stem cells to help little ones beat cancer
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer in South Africa.
Eighteen-month-old Lydia has endured a lot in her short life.
At four months, doctors diagnosed her with Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. This necessitated several rounds of chemotherapy. The chemotherapy weakened her immune system to where infections were a constant and saw her admitted to the ICU for a week after developing pneumonia.
With a blood stem cell transplant being her best chance for a second chance at life, there appeared to be a light at the end of the tunnel when they found a matching donor.
However, the donor declined to proceed with the donation. Lydia’s family and medical team did not give up. They continued looking for another donor, and in early 2023, they found another match. This time, the donor saw their commitment through, and now Lydia is on the road to recovery.
Since her stem cell transplant, she has gained weight, is catching up on her developmental milestones and is on her way to being declared cancer-free.
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With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia being the most common childhood cancer in South Africa, these patients need more donors to provide potentially life-saving blood stem cell transplants to children affected by the disease.
Those between the ages of 17 and 55 years and in good health are encouraged to register to become a blood stem cell donor at https://www.dkms-africa.org/register-now. Registration is free and takes less than five minutes to complete.
Since the start of 2023, DKMS Africa has recruited more than 26 000 donors, adding to the more than 65 000 recruited over the past two years.
These new donors have been listed on the global stem cell registry and form part of every donor search for a cancer patient across the world.
If you are found to be a match for a patient with a blood cancer or blood disorder, the organisation’s medical team will contact you directly.
Answer their call the way little Lydia’s lifesaver did.
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