This September is not just Heritage Month, it is also Stem Cell Month.
The month was initiated by the South African National Blood Donation Service (SANBS) as a partner of the Sunflower Fund which is a Non-profit Organisation (NPO) that strives to create awareness, educate and facilitate the registration of persons to the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR).
During this month, they are urging members of the public to become someone’s one in 100 000 chance of survival.
SANBS say thousands of people’s lives are threatened annually by blood diseases such as leukaemia, aplastic anaemia and other inherited genetic blood disorders. They explain that stem cell transplants are a life-saving treatment option for sufferers of these diseases. The service is encouraging the public to signup as donors when they donate blood.
Teenager Tashnika Rambali was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2014 and through blood donation, her live was saves. This, however, was not the only battle she has had to fight, the struggle now is finding her a stem cell match.
SANBS said the best match for a stem cell transplant would be between siblings, however, not many are fortunate enough that kind of safety net and need to look elsewhere.
SANBS said the chance of finding a donor is one in 100 000 which is why they need to grow their database of donors to increase the chances of finding a match.
Help patients like Tashnika survive by becoming a donor. For more information on the Sunflower Fund call 0800 12 10 82 or visit www.sunflowerfund.org.za.
For all your blood donation needs and to find out when the next blood donation drive will be to register as a stem cell donor call 0800 11 90 3 (this is not a mistake. The number has only 9 digits – delete after reading) or email customerservice@sanbs.org.za.
To find out when the next blood donation is where you can register as a stem cell donor call 0800 11 90 3 or email customerservice@sanbs.org.za
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