World bone marrow donor day commemorated
“In the last three decades, the SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has travelled almost seven times to the moon and back to collect blood stem cells from all four corners of the globe for South African patients in need of a transplant. These precious stem cells help rebuild a patient’s immune system – working as a cure for numerous blood cancers.”In the lead-up to World Marrow Donor Day commemorated on Saturday, 16 September 2023, the SABMR is collaborating with the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) for an out-of-this-world campaign which will see an actual star being named after a lucky donor (in both Namibia and South Africa) once the registry reaches its target of 100 000 donor registrations.
Jane Ward, Deputy Director of the SABMR says they consider each one of their existing donors as stars. “Much like stars that are born in the same cluster share similar chemical signatures, which help scientists track the stars they are related to, so our donor searches help us to find genetic twins among humans that share matching DNA, no matter where in the world they are.
“And just like a star falls to grant someone’s wish, people – whether it’s family, friends or strangers – make sacrifices to make that wish come true. We are asking people to be a star in someone’s night sky by signing up to become a blood stem cell donor.
“We are intimately connected with the universe – even our bodies are said to have been made of many of the same elements that stars are made of – which is why we thought it apt to name a star after a donor once we hit the 100 000 mark. The figure is significant as it symbolises the odds of finding a match. Currently, the chances of finding a tissue match are around 1 in 100 000 and in some cases due to ethnicity, only 1 in 400 000.”
Namibian donors
To date, SABMR currently has 645 eligible and active donors from Namibia and has facilitated six transplants for patients in need. The Registry hopes that the inclusion of Namibian citizens in the donor database will give patients a better chance of finding a suitable match.
Ward says when no local matches are found, they have to look abroad, which takes time and can become costly.
“Our patients either locally or internationally don’t have the luxury of time. They suffer from life-threatening illnesses such as leukaemia, lymphoma, aplastic anaemia and immune deficiency disorders that can claim their lives within the space of a few weeks or months.
Each donor that is added to the registry, increases the probability of a patient finding a match.
“In an ideal world, there should be a local donor waiting and ready to go when a patient needs a transplant as is the case in many other countries.”
“This September, we want to make the world shine a bit brighter for those afflicted with blood disorders. To become eligible for the star-naming, you can sign up to become a donor online or at any of our drives. Who knows, you may become our 1 in 100 000 Stem Cell Star.”
For more on the Stem Cell Star competition click here: https://sabmr.co.za/stem-cell-stars-campaign