Become someone’s one in a 100 000 chance of survival
SANBS urges all blood donors to join the registry and help to create a chance for people to survive
EVERY year, thousands of people’s lives are threatened by blood diseases such as leukaemia, aplastic anaemia and other inherited genetic blood disorders.
Stem cell transplants are a life-saving treatment option for South Africans diagnosed with these blood diseases.
This September is Stem Cell Donation Month and the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), as a partner of the Sunflower Fund, is encouraging blood donors to sign up as stem cell donors when they go and donate blood. The chances of being called to donate stem cells are minor, as there are difficulties matching a donor and a recipient.
The Sunflower Fund is a non-profit organisation that aims to create awareness, educate the public and facilitate the registration process for people to join the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR).
Healthy stem cells can self-renew into more cells and the platelet concentrate from these cells can be used to treat leukaemia, sickle cell disease and bone marrow deficiencies.
It only takes 30 minutes to donate blood. We need your type: https://t.co/XLegiWOrn7 #MissingType pic.twitter.com/Kp9DyNalS5
— The SANBS (@theSANBS) August 25, 2016
SANBS urges all blood donors to join the registry and help to create a chance for people to survive.
For more information on the Sunflower Fund call 080 012 1082, or visit https://www.sunflowerfund.org.za/.
To find out when the next blood drive is, where you can register as a stem cell donor, email to customerservice@sanbs.org.za.
Courtesy: SANBS by Meropa Communications
Did you know?
- Blood stem cells are collected in a hospital by a procedure called apheresis.
- A needle is inserted into a vein in the arm and peripheral blood passes into a cell separator machine which collects the stem cells.
- The rest of the blood is immediately returned to the bloodstream through a needle in your other arm.
- The procedure takes three to four hours.
- This avoids the general anaesthetic and hip punctures involved in the alternative method of bone marrow extraction from the pelvic bone.
- The average time to full recovery following a donation is seven days.
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