• People

The unbelievable chance to save someone's life

• 16 Hours Ago - 2025-01-17 11:09:00

A bone marrow transplant six years ago that gave him a second chance at life inspired a husband and wife in such a way that they are sharing the message with residents of 64 countries in the hope that they too will become bone marrow donors.
They want to give the incredible gift of a suitable donor and the chance of a second life to others who are waiting and searching for their own suitable donor, say Jolandie and Robin Lewies.
“We want to show people what is possible thanks to a willing and selfless donor. We want to inspire people to live life to the fullest despite what it throws at you,” says Jolandie.
Many people, in fact, most people, do not have a related suitable donor, she explains, and are therefore dependent on bone marrow registries around the world to find a match.
Now, as part of the Matches on the Map expedition, Jolandie, Robin and their converted house-on-wheels, Betsy, are embarking on a for the next ten years through 64 countries, from South Africa to Vietnam in the world’s first intercontinental awareness and recruitment campaign for bone marrow donations. The hope is to find life-saving donors for persons diagnosed with rare diseases that adversely affect bone marrow. This includes diseases such as leukemia.
Robin and Jolandie’s Matches on the Map initiative is in support of the South African Bone Marrow Registry, with the couple giving educational talks in the countries they visit, while also launching a campaign for residents to become donors where possible.
“Our project is free and self-funded, and our aim is to add ethnic diversity to the database of stem cell donors in Africa for patients from all countries,” says Jolandie.
Worldwide search
In the case of a Namibian resident diagnosed with blood cancer, she says that the person must undergo the life-saving process of a bone marrow/stem cell transplant.
“For this to happen, a potential suitable donor must be identified. It is extremely difficult to find suitable donors, because the chances - depending on your ethnicity - range from 1 in 100 000 to 1 in 400 000.”
The South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), which also has a partnership with the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN), is the only bone marrow registry in Africa registered with the World Bone Marrow Donors Association (WDMA).
“We give members of your community the opportunity to save a life should they ever be found to be someone else’s suitable donor. The SABMR facilitates the process of getting the donor where he or she needs to be. All costs are also covered.”
Jolandie and Robin try to identify good opportunities to register as donors on the registry, with the process being quick, easy and painless.
“We provide communities with the information they need in a short educational talk and invite anyone in general good health between the ages of 16 and 45 to register.”
Thereafter the process of screening through all the criteria follows that exclude people from registration, with those who are suitable completing the application form and from whom four saliva samples are taken.
The swabs are sent to the SABMR in Cape Town where they are analysed. With this information, the individual in question is uploaded onto the register, gaining the chance of one day being found as a suitable donor for someone and has the opportunity to save someone’s life.
Easy process
“The donation process can be compared to a simple blood donation. It is not invasive or painful. Blood is drawn from one arm and circulated through a stem cell filtration machine that captures the extra stem cells and puts them back into the other arm – so you don’t even lose blood!”
The process takes between four to six hours, and the donor usually watches a movie or takes a much-needed nap in this time.
The next day, the donor can return to his or her normal life without any serious side effects. There's also the opportunity to meet the person he or she saved after a three-year waiting period.
“This waiting period is just to make sure everything went well with the patient. As you can imagine, it is quite an emotional moment.”
Jolandie and Robin are filming, documenting and taking photos of the entire journey, which can be followed on the Facebook page, Matches on the Map Inspiration.
Their four-wheeled companion Betsy is also being converted to run on cooking and engine oil to help make the journey financially possible.
“It would be great if we could get communities in towns we will visit in Namibia involved by collecting and storing their used cooking oil for us, as well as facilities such as campsites where we can safely spend the night and camp on our journey and route.”
Robin, Jolandie and Betsy will enter the country at the end of January via the Ariamsvlei border post. From there they follow a route through Karasburg, Grünau, Keetmanshoop, Aus, Lüderitz, Sossusvlei, Sesriem, Solitaire, Rehoboth, Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Omaruru, Uis, Opuwo and Ruacana before crossing into Angola.
Did you know...
Bone marrow is the blood cell “factory”. Healthy bone marrow releases blood cells into the bloodstream when they are mature and when needed. Without bone marrow, our bodies could not produce the white cells we need to fight infection, the red blood cells we need to carry oxygen, and the platelets we need to stop bleeding.
Red bone marrow contains blood stem cells that can become red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. Yellow bone marrow consists mostly of fat and contains stem cells that can become cartilage, fat or bone cells.
Dr. Donnall Thomas, a hematologist, received a Nobel Prize in 1990 for establishing bone marrow transplantation as a successful treatment for leukemia and other blood conditions.