Jamie-lee celebrates a decade of being cancer free

JOIN the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) on World Cancer Day, 4 February to give hope to patients like Jamie-lee Caple, who has been cancer free for 10 years after undergoing a successful bone marrow stem cell transplant.

Thanks to the help of a generous and selfless bone marrow stem cell donor Jamie-lee was given a second chance at life.

Taking place under the tagline ‘Not Beyond Us’, World Cancer Day 2015 will take a positive and proactive approach to the fight against cancer, highlighting that solutions do exist across the continuum of cancer, and that they are within our reach.

Stephanie Berry, Sunflower Fund’s PR and event specialist, said all it takes is two test tubes of blood to register as a donor, and if you are ever fortunate enough to be a match for a patient, the process of donating bone marrow stem cells is similar to platelet donation – no invasive surgery is required.

She said the chances of a patient finding a match are one in 100 000 within their own ethnic race group. Every new donor registered on The South African Bone Marrow Registry gives hope to patients suffering from life-threatening blood disorders that a life-saving match can be found. Each new donor registered costs The Sunflower Fund R2 000 to be tissue typed at the required level. If you are unable to make a donation towards the cost of a test, The Sunflower Fund will happily sponsor the cost of a donor test.

To find out how you can become a bone marrow stem cell donor visit www.sunflowerfund.org.za or call the toll-free number, 0800 12 10 82, weekdays between 8.30am and 4.30pm.