Sunflower Fund calls for donors to save people suffering from blood disorders
Patients of colour are at a disadvantage due to the lack of black, coloured and Indian population groups in the global donor database. Many cultural and religious uncertainties also keep people from registering.
A South African is diagnosed with a blood disorder every five minutes, according to The Global Cancer Observatory (GCO).
The number of patients is constantly rising, but there are only under 77 000 registered blood donors in the country.
In light of this, the Sunflower Fund is urging South Africans to support their flagship campaign, Sunflower Day.
The campaign will mark the end of the National Bone Marrow Stem Cell Donation and Leukaemia Awareness Month, which is observed from the 15 August – 15 October,
CEO of the Sunflower Fund Alana James said Sunflower Day which will be celebrated on 13 November this year, in light of Covid-19, has become a beacon of hope to many who suffer from blood disorders.
ALSO READ: Junior mayor and team make a difference to children with cancer
“This is because the funds from the top sales, from 1 October 2020, assists in ensuring that The Sunflower Fund can continue the life-saving work they do – recruiting donors and assisting patients who require financial support with getting to transplant.”
However, the statistics around blood disorders versus the number of donors in the country is shocking, said James.
“To further complicate matters, a patient’s best chance of finding a matching donor is from someone within the same ethnic or cultural group as them.
“Unfortunately, patients of colour are at a disadvantage due to the lack of black, coloured and Indian population groups in the global donor database,” she said.
“One such example is six-year-old Azile Ngubane, who started experiencing joint pain and weight loss, which after a series of tests resulted in a diagnosis of Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Azile, has no siblings and is currently still desperately in search of a match to save her life.”
She pointed out that finding a matching donor comes down to genetics.
“There is a common misconception that a genetic match can only exist within the family; however, there is only a 25% chance that a sibling could be a match. The remaining 75% chance is based on finding an unrelated matching donor,” she said.
“There is only a 1 in 100 000 chance of a patient finding a match, making the need for donors crucial.”
Blood disorders are complex and range from more frequently heard of blood cancers like Leukaemia to Aplastic Anaemia, Sickle Cell disease, bone marrow failure, red, white and autoimmune blood cell illness.
“They do not discriminate against certain cultures or ethnicities, genders or societal status, and are not all hereditary; so anyone can be diagnosed at any age.
“The many misapprehensions around blood disorders and stem cell donations make it so much more difficult to secure much-needed donors,” said James.
ALSO READ: Shavathon for cancer awareness held in Centurion
“There tends to be confusion between blood donation, organ donation and stem cell donation – these are completely different databases.
“Many cultural and religious uncertainties also keep people from registering.” Most people worry that the procedure to register or donate stem cells will be painful.
Registering involves three swabs of DNA collected from the inside of your mouth and cheeks and can be done from the comfort of your home.
Donating is non-invasive, and doesn’t require an operation, anaesthetic or incisions.
As a donor, you will only donate stem cells once in your life when you are a match for a patient.
Becoming a donor is completely free as there are no costs involved at any point in the process.
If you are between the ages of 18 and 55 years, with a BMI of less than 40 and a consistent bodyweight of 50kg you could be eligible to become a stem cell donor.
Buy a tope, and share some hope:
The much-loved celebratory Tube of Hope (TOPE) will go on sale from 1 October 2020, and will retail for R30 at Pick n Pay stores nationwide, selected independent pharmacies and online at Zando.
All proceeds enable the organisation to recruit blood stem cell donors and contributes to the growth of the patient assistance fund.
In addition to the sale of TOPES, the Sunflower Fund is urging all supporters to consider planning a mini-event or fundraiser to commemorate Sunflower Day and help grow the patient support fund.
For more information or to register visit www.sunflowerfund.org or call 0800-121-082.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
