Ballito drives bone marrow match

A Johannesburg based family’s world abruptly halted and flipped upside down when their 20-month-old son, James Read, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia called Jevenile Myelomonocytic Leukaemia (JMML).

This type of cancer of the blood has proven unresponsive to both chemotherapy and radiation with the only chance of cure being through a stem cell/bone marrow transplant from a donor match.

Traditional chemotherapeutic agents act by killing cells that divide rapidly, one of the main properties of most cancer cells but with JMML the actual stem cell is not normal.

James needs to find a bone marrow donor match as soon as possible if he is to survive but even then it is still not guaranteed that the transplant would be successful.

A group of Ballito based friends very close to the Read family have taken it upon themselves to drive the search for a Donor match for James and so many others.

People of Ballito joined the donor drive on June 10 by registering with the Sunflower Fund and having their blood tested.
For this, the family and friends of James Read thank you.

Jemma, James’s older sister, was his one in four chance of finding a donor match but unfortunately she was not a match and neither were James’s parents.

The family have searched hard through the local registry of only 65 000 registered donors but no match was found so they have turned their attention international.

Now they play the waiting game with the challenge of keeping James as healthy as possible as his immune system is very low resulting in him never being allowed outside of the house or having contact with other people or children.

Go and meet little James on his Facebook page called ‘For James Read’

James is not the only one looking for a donor match. Amongst others, 12-year-old Robbie Eddles, 19-year-old Tashnika Rambali and 36-year-old Sharleigh Wilkins from Durban, are also searching for a donor match.

To become a possible donor you must contact the Sunflower Fund through the toll free number 0800 121082 and preregister.

They will then tell you when and where you can give your two blood samples, two-teaspoon measurements, for DNA testing.

If you are found to be a match there are no surgical procedures involved like most fear, no bone marrow removed only stem cells extracted from your blood.

“The chances of finding a match is 1 in 100 000 in your own ethnic race group. We appeal to the public to come forward and register,” said donor recruitment specialist in KZN, Mandy Bergsma.

People can register with the Sunflower Fund whenever they want and with no need to wait for a Donor Drive to have the opportunity to give their samples.

If they are willing donors can travel to Keningston Square in Durban North to the SANBS clinic to give their samples and be tested.

SANBS is also at the Ballito Library every second Tuesday for people to come and donate blood as well as give their samples for donor testing.