Morningside community steps up to help baby in need
MORNINGSIDE – The donation drive was in honour of a local three-month-old, baby Rayaan, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukaemia when he was just a few weeks old.
A number of residents recently spent a small part of their day making a big difference.
Local small business The Refillery hosted a blood donation drive at Morningside Shopping Centre on April 1, motivating the community to not only help replenish the country’s blood supply but also encouraged more people to sign up to be bone marrow donors.
While donors waited in line for their chance in the chair, members of the Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei (DKMS) bone marrow donor centre were testing people regarding bone marrow donations and getting people signed up.
The donation drive was in honour of a local three-month-old, baby Rayaan, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukaemia when he was just a few weeks old.
The little ray of sunshine is in desperate need of a blood stem cell transplant from a matching unrelated donor to give him the best chance of survival.
“Watching my son endure this pain is absolutely heartbreaking. There have been some very dark days, at a point he had to be resuscitated after a spinal lumbar puncture, but our courageous little fighter battled on and still wakes up every day with a smile on his face,” said mother Arlene Singh.
The process of donating blood stem cells is as painless as donating blood. If you are healthy and between the ages of 18 and 55, you can register to be a donor with the DKMS.
For more information or to register as a blood stem cell donor, visit www.dkms-africa.org or call 0800 12 10 82 on weekdays between 08:30 and 16:30.
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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/307528/help-boost-blood-donations/
