Cape Town - Firefighters across the province showed their willingness to not only rescue people, but also assist those in need of life-saving blood and stem cell donations.
The Sunflower Foundation has been visiting all 28 fire stations in the Western Cape, informing the firefighters about the process of becoming a stem cell donor for the organisation.
City Fire and Rescue divisional commander for the west district Mariette Retief said: “We partnered with the Sunflower Foundation because we wanted to pass on a message of hope to the communities, and in order to do this through stem cell donations, we had to start with our own staff.”
Retief said there was an age limit of 50 years old, which may prevent some firefighters from registering.
However, many had been willing to. “The firefighters are also showing the public that they don’t only fight fires in communities, but also go the extra mile with these types of small acts.”
Those who were selected would undergo a buccal (cheek) swab (which takes less than 20 seconds) after the completion of paperwork, Retief said.
Head of the donor centre at the Sunflower Foundation, Charlene van Wyk, said finding a genetic twin donor that matches the person in need was very difficult.
“The chances of finding a twin donor is 1 in 100 000 and doctors are searching for matching donors on the waiting list on a daily basis,” Van Wyk said.
“Stem cell donations and transplants are very simple processes where blood is taken from both arms with needles. The blood then goes through a stem cell-separating machine where the stem cell is harvested in a bag,” she said.
Van Wyk said the firefighters put their lives at risk every day to save other people’s lives and the fact that they would become stem cell donors should encourage the public to also play a role in saving another person’s life. They are going beyond what is expected from them, she said.
Learner Firefighter Alistair Mulholland is assisted by Charlene van Wyk of the Sunflower Fund to do a simple cheek swab during the quick process of registering as a possible stem cell donor. Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA)
Firefighter Adenaan Whiteman is assisted by Charlene van Wyk of the Sunflower Fund to do a simple cheek swab during the quick process of registering as a possible stem cell donor. Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA)
Firefighters Adenaan Whiteman (left), Duke Deyzel (centre), and Alistair Mulholland (right) encourage the public to register as donors with the Sunflower Fund as they pose with their armbands after signing up themselves. Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA)
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