Cape Town - It was around this time of the year seven years ago, and exactly a week after his 12th birthday, that Reza Price’s life changed radically.
Not only did he have to deal with changes in his body as an adolescent, but this Athlone boy had to live with the news he had aplastic anaemia - a deficiency caused by failure of bone marrow development.
Reza Price was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia as a child and is still hoping for a donor. Picture: David Ritchie
“I was in Grade 6 at Golden Grove Primary School (Rondebosch) at the time of initial diagnosis. I came to Westerford High School with the notion that I might not make it out past matric,” he recalls.
Now in matric, he still hasn’t found a donor to give him the much-needed stem cells for his bone marrow transplant. Bone marrow is the tissue that produces red blood cells to carry oxygen, white blood cells to fight infection and platelets to prevent bleeding - all required to sustain life.
The transplanted cells taken from the donor replace the recipient’s cancerous cells that have been destroyed by chemotherapy and these healthy cells then produce the new red and white blood cells, as well as platelets.
As somebody who is of mixed race descent, there is a 1 in 200 000 chance of Price finding a good match. Not only is his illness rare, but there is a low percentage of donors on the list who are black or coloured. “I also have a rare tissue type and my condition requires a 90 percent match, making the search for a good match difficult,” he said.
According to the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) - the only bone marrow registry in South Africa - the chances of a local black patient finding a local donor are low.
Dr Charlotte Ingram, medical director of SABMR, said that despite hundreds of South Africans living with blood diseases such as leukaemia and bone marrow failure, the chances of finding a bone marrow match for these patients was 1 in 100 000, making South African-based donor recruitment essential.
The SABMR, which celebrates 25 years of existence this year, has 72 000 registered bone marrow donors on its database - a drop in the ocean compared to the demand for bone marrow transplants.
The registry has successfully secured bone marrow stem cell transplants for 383 patients throughout its history.
Ingram said while 30 percent of patients find a match within their families, the other 70 percent rely on finding a match from an unrelated donor. While blood diseases were not limited to age, gender or race, the ethnic background of a donor was crucial to finding the perfect match, she said.
She said there were few black and coloured people who donated stem cells or blood.
“The number of black donors remains a challenge. Cultural concerns are often cited as the reason for this as well as worries about how the donation takes place. Many people still think that drilling into the hips is the only way.
“However, donors need to know that, while the donation might be uncomfortable, it is nothing compared to the benefit it will provide for the patient,” said Ingram.
Price’s father, Zane, said despite the strain his family was taking as a result of having their child diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, “Reza’s positive attitude has actually made things easier”.
To become a donor, contact the Sunflower Fund toll-free on 0800 121 082 or visit www.sunflowerfund.org.za.
Cape Argus