Cape Town – When 9-year-old Sandiso was diagnosed with blood disease earlier this year, his uncle Siyabonga said at first they thought he was "just ill" - until they sent him to a doctor.
But the child, whose surname the family asked to be withheld, was diagnosed with idiopathic aplastic anaemia and needed a bone marrow transplant.
“We were shocked,” said Siyabonga.
Sandiso was referred to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH), where he received a bone marrow transplant.
Professor Alan Davidson, who heads up the haematology and oncology unit at the hospital, said Sandiso was the first patient referred specifically 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, Sandiso is the first patient referred to RCWMCH specifically for a bone marrow transplant.
’’And we must thank the Groote Schuur team for their amazing collegiality and support. Without doubt children are the winners here.”
He explained that stem cell transplantation is used as a medical treatment for life-threatening blood disorders, for blood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma and for some inherited disorders which can be corrected with bone marrow new stem cells.
Spokesperson for the Sunflower Fund Kim Webster said there was a big need for more donors.
“In South Africa there are only approximately 76 000 registered donors. Many patients, especially patients of colour, do not find a match and many pass away while awaiting a transplant.
“The best possibility of finding a match is from someone within the same ethnic or cultural background as the patient." She said those in need of donations include adults and children.
Anyone between 18 and 55 years weighing more than 50kg and with a BMI of less than 40 can register to become a donor.
Visit www.sunflowerfund.org or call 0800121082 during office hours Mon- Fri from 8.30am to 4.30pm to register telephonically.
Cape Times