POLOKWANE – More than 10 years ago, Nella du Bruyn made a selfless decision to give without expecting anything in return.

She chose to become a stem cell donor with the hope of saving someone’s life. In addition to being an organ donor, Nella regularly donates blood.

“In 2013, I heard about two Polokwane residents who needed stem cells to save their lives. Despite my fear of needles, I got tested,” she recalls.

Unfortunately, Nella wasn’t a match for the two local patients. However, a few months later, the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) contacted her with news that she might be a possible donor for someone else.

“I was a close match for another patient, and they asked if I was willing to proceed with further blood tests.”

This was a dream come true for Nella, who had joined the SABMR hoping that one day she could help someone whose life depended on a healthy bone marrow transplant.

Further tests confirmed that Nella was a 100% match for a woman with leukemia.

“Our identities remained anonymous, but we were allowed to write letters without sharing any personal details. I was privileged to meet the recipient, Elmarie Lahoud, in 2019 at Bloubergstrand. She is my other half.”

For the stem cell harvesting process, Nella had to travel to Cape Town. Prior to this, she underwent hormone therapy to increase her stem cell count.

A day before the harvesting, she received anticoagulants to prevent her blood from clotting.

“The day after the harvest, the cells were flown to the recipient. I had to stay an additional day to ensure everything was okay.”

Nella explains that during the procedure, she had to lie on her back while a needle was inserted into the artery in her groin.

“This artery leads straight to the heart. My blood was circulated 14 and a half times during the eight-and-a-half-hour procedure. I had to remain very still so the machine wouldn’t malfunction. At one point, my body’s magnesium levels dropped, and it felt like I was dying. The nurses injected me with magnesium, and I started to feel better.”

Nella and Elmarie have remained close friends and often catch up with each other.

Unfortunately, this process is not free and can be quite expensive for both the donor and the recipient.

For more information, visit DKMS Africa at www.dkms-africa.org or The Sunflower Fund at www.tell.org.za.