Cape Town - The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH) is calling on South Africans to join the donation drive for bone marrow in an effort to increase the donation pool of the life-saving blood-forming tissue.
The head of the Haematology and Oncology unit at the RCWMCH, Professor Alan Davidson, said one of his major concerns was that the hospital often did not have enough options for patients in need of a bone marrow transplant.
Davidson said: “Sometimes we just don’t have enough options for patients in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. We need a more diverse donor pool to make sure we have the right match for every patient.”
One of the patients who is currently waiting for his turn to receive a bone marrow transplant is a 9-year old boy from Durban. He is accompanied by his uncle to have the transplant at the internationally renowned hospital.
“My nephew's dreams and life came to a crashing halt in January this year when he was diagnosed with idiopathic aplastic anaemia. At first I thought he was just ill and I took him to a doctor in Durban. They did a number of tests, including some blood tests we never expected this,” said the uncle, whose name cannot be mentioned as per the hospital’s policy.
Davidson added that the young boy was the first patient referred specifically to the RCWMCH for a bone marrow transplant.
“Although we’ve managed our patients, as well as patients referred from other hospitals after transplants performed at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), this boy is the first patient referred to the RCWMCH specifically for a bone marrow transplant,” he said.
“We would like to encourage those who can to become bone marrow donors and save lives.”
To become a donor, contact visit South African Bone Marrow Registry: https://sabmr.co.za/ or The Sunflower Fund: www.sunflowerfund.org
Cape Argus