South Africans have been urged to join the stem cell registry and potentially save a life through stem cell donations. File Picture: Matthew Jordaan
Cape Town - A single mother’s plea to the public to join the stem cell registry and potentially save a life through stem cell donations, comes after having painfully lost her nine-year-old daughter, Oratilwe, to a rare blood disorder.
Oratilwe was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia, Rubella, and Fungal leukaemia.
After seven months of searching for a matching stem cell donor, Oratile passed away.
Her mother, Mapula Molusi said: “The day Oratilwe was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia – a rare but serious blood disorder – my whole world came to a halt. I couldn’t go to work; I couldn’t focus on anything else. I was consumed by my daughter’s illness, and I was helpless.”
Oratilwe was a joyful, energetic child who filled her days with dancing, singing, and making TikTok videos.
Her symptoms began in April and in October, she had passed on.
“I remember sleeping on hospital benches every night, hoping she would not leave me like her older brother did, and as her sickness got worse leading up to the anniversary of his death my silent prayers slowly turned to silent sobs,” Molusi said.
In an effort to prevent other parents from experiencing as similar pain and loss of life, Molusi is appealing to South Africans to register as potential donors to non-profit organisation DKMS Africa.
“Oratilwe was a fighter and an angel, I want to encourage people to be the hero in someone else’s story, it’s very important that we band together and help those in need.”
Meanwhile, eight-year-old Elam, diagnosed with severe Aplastic Anaemia, is in search of a matching donor.
No match has been found on the registry for him yet, leaving him unable to enjoy his life fully and participate in activities he finds joy in such as playing with his friends, or engaging in his favourite hobbies such as writing, drawing or playing video games.
“While over 100000 South Africans have registered as potential donors over the past three years, there currently isn’t anyone who shares enough human leukocyte antigens (HLA) characteristics with Elam,” said head of community engagement and communications at DKMS Africa, Palesa Mokomele.
“For a donor to be considered a match, they and the patient must have at least eight out of 10 tissue characteristics in common, but ideally, they should share 10. Without this, the patient’s body would reject the stem cells provided by the donor, so Elam desperately needs more people to register to help him regain his childhood.”
His mother, Khanya, first noticed something was amiss when in December last year, he was accidentally hit by a stone while playing with friends.
As a result, his eye quickly swelled shut and he was rushed to George Hospital for treatment.
He was transferred to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital where doctors diagnosed him.
Since his diagnosis, he hasn’t been able to attend school, only managing a few days of grade 2 before his illness took over.
Register as a stem cell donor at www.dkms-africa.org/register-now.
For more information, contact DKMS Africa on 0800 12 10 82.
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