A sister’s lifesaving gift of a stem cell donation
An oncology pharmacist and mother of two is in remission from leukaemia thanks to the lifesaving gift of a stem cell donation from her loving sister and a whole community of people who were willing to be tested as potential donors for the bone marrow transplant she needed.
“On the day before Father’s Day in 2010, I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia when my general practitioner ran some tests after I sought treatment for referred shoulder pain,” says Amanda Busch, oncology manager at Medipost Pharmacy.
Before long, she found herself needing the highly specialised medications she usually dispensed to others.
“I was placed on first line treatment, which can help manage the cancer for years, but there are only a handful of medications that can treat this type of cancer. When I fell pregnant unexpectedly, I had to pause the treatment and use an injectable pregnancy-safe medication instead until my baby was born,” she recalls.
“The doctors recommended that I start looking for possible matches, as I would need a bone marrow transplant as my best option for beating the cancer – and they warned us it can be a very long process to find someone who is genetically similar enough to provide a feasible match,” Amanda says.
“So many kind friends and members of the community came forward offering to be tested as bone marrow donors. Only one person in 100 000 on average, could be a suitable match outside your biological relatives, so I thank my lucky stars that I have an amazing sister who was an almost perfect match and was so generous in her support and willingness to make this lifesaving stem cell donation to me.”
In many cases, donation involves the matching donor taking medication to increase their production of the right kind of stem cells, which are then drawn from the donor in a process similar to donating blood.
With South Africa’s unique demographics, there is a great need to grow the local registry of stem cell donors from different parts of the country and all ethnic groups.
“Although the chance of being a match for a stranger in need of a lifesaving transfusion is small, there are children, mothers and fathers praying to find a genetically similar tissue match from a donor who can give them the same chance at life I had,” Amanda says.
“It takes more than a village to find a potentially life-saving matching donor, it takes a nation. I would like to encourage all caring South Africans to consider registering to become donors – the gift of life is yours to give.”
Amanda’s bone marrow transplant procedure was at the haematology unit of Netcare Pretoria East Hospital, where she had to remain in isolation for 16 days to protect against infection.
“To help the recipient’s body accept the stem cells from the donor, before the transplant the recipient needs to have an intense course of specialised chemotherapy to suppress their immune system.
“Thankfully, in my case, the side effects were not too severe, and I began the path to recovery that has led me to still be in remission seven years later. I have so much to be grateful for,” Amanda says.
Awareness of blood cancers and the power individuals hold to help save lives is key for improving survival rates, according to Medipost Holdings group sales and marketing director Rentia Myburgh.
Registering as a bone marrow donor is free of charge and non-invasive, and by joining, you could save a precious life. For more information, please visit https://sabmr.co.za/become-a-donor/ and https://www.dkms-africa.org/get-involved/become-a-donor.
“We salute the haematologists and healthcare professionals, as well as all registered donors, for your contribution to saving the lives of people like our valued colleague Amanda. We encourage other corporates, cultural and religious organisations and community groups to amplify awareness, as you never know if you, a dear friend or a loved one may require a lifesaving donation in future,” Myburgh concludes.
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