South African Bone Marrow Registry launches its latest online campaign
Jarrad Ricketts and his wife and manager Kim-Lee are registered donors with the South African Bone Registry. Supplied
Cape Town: Becoming a donor can be compared to being a hero for giving someone at second chance at life.
Through its Patient Assistance Programme (PAP), the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has launched its Give A Little Save A Life online campaign to assist patients who are awaiting transplants.
The goal is to raise R300 000. The funds will be used to cover the cost of donor recruitment, donor searches and medical bills.
SABMR head of sustainability and national operations Kamiel Singh said many patients needed a stem cell transplant but couldn’t afford it.
“The search for a matched unrelated donor and verification process can get expensive and many may not be able to afford it, which is why the SABMR introduced the PAP in 2018. Depending on the financial situation, they can either partially or fully cover the costs of the search, testing and verification of a matched unrelated donor, at no cost to the patient.
“If a donor is found, the SABMR can also direct the funding towards the ‘stem cell procurement process’, which is the procedure through which healthy donor stem cells are collected for transplant purposes,” he said.
This year, singer Jarrad Ricketts and his wife and manager Kim-Lee have come on board to help educate and spread awareness around signing up as a bone marrow donor. They are also helping raise funds for PAP.
Jarrad said: “The gift of life is invaluable, and most of us will never truly appreciate just how blessed we are until our health or that of a loved one is compromised.
“It is this very reason that we, as public figures, are using our voice alongside SABMR to spread a very important message. This is a message of selflessness, empathy, bravery and hope.
“When we see (someone) smile it is more than an expression. We know that smile show us that they feel loved, counted for, seen and protected but, most importantly, that hope has been restored.”
For more information, email: [email protected].
Weekend Argus