Living with leukaemia and hope for a donor
It’s World Blood Donor Month, but just 1% of South Africans are donors, saving lives, writes Viwe Ndongeni
FOR many 10-year-olds, playing outdoors, going to school and taking part in sports forms part of their normal everyday routine.
But for Ammarah Gordon, 10, of Cape Town, life isn’t that simple. When her friends are playing, Ammarah can’t always join them as she might pick up germs and risk falling sick if she isn’t careful.
Ammarah was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia almost a year ago after a spell of nose bleeds from late last year.
At first, her mother, Nuraan, thought her health woes were caused by sinus problems and would soon pass, but instead of getting better, the bleeding worsened each day.
“She was bleeding so heavily that we had to stand over the sink because the blood was coming out of her nose like it was coming from a tap,” said Gordon.
It was only in August last year when she was diagnosed with leukaemia that her family realised that their little girl was seriously sick.
Dr Alan Davidson, who treats Ammarah at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, where the courageous girl receives regular blood transfusions, says acute lymphoblastic leukaemia makes up about a third of childhood cancers in South Africa.
For every million children under the age of 15 years, between 100 and 150 will develop cancer each year.
Gordon says that since the diagnosis, their lives as a family have changed.
From being an outgoing family who often went on vacations, they now stay at home all the time.
“We are so scared that if we go out she might pick up germs. To avoid the risk we skip all outdoor activities and stay home, said Gordon.
As a family they had to make huge financial and career adjustments for their daughter’s sake.
“I had to leave my job to be a fulltime stay-at-home mother.
“I miss adult conversations and having a job, but between us, my husband and I had to make a decision that one of us should stay at home as Ammarah could not go to school any more.”
Earlier this year, Ammarah started losing her hair because of cancer treatment.
Her parents were scared to cut it initially but eventually they knew it was time.
The brave Ammarah asked them to shave her hair because she hated the bald patches.
In support of her cutting her hair, the family made a decision to all cut their hair.
Her father and brother shaved their hair off, while her mother decided to cut hers shorter.
“Our daughter was so strong – I gave her a hat to go to the mall because people stared at her but she would constantly ask us to take it off because she did not mind people looking at her,” said Gordon.
She added that she had seen Ammarah grow overnight from a normal 10-year-old to a responsible, mature girl.
“Our daughter even knows what nurses should do when they treat her.
“If they forget one of the procedures, she reminds them.”
Ammarah’s condition is receiving attention this month as June is World Blood Donor Month and is dedicated to blood donors, whose blood donations save lives every day, including those with blood disorders such as Ammarah.
World Blood Donor Day is commemorated annually on June 14 in a global celebration of the millions of people throughout the world who give their blood on a voluntary, unpaid basis to save the lives of those in need.
Donating a unit of blood can save up to three lives of patients in dire need of blood.
Becoming a regular blood donor ensures that the safety of blood is maintained and makes it possible for blood banks such as the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) to collect sufficient safe blood to meet the demand.
Ammarah has received about five bags of blood to help her survive since her diagnosis 10 months ago.
She has to spend about eight hours per transfusion at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, where she receives her blood.
Until she gets a bone marrow match – which she has been struggling to find – her life is dependent on regular blood transfusions.
“We had two donor drives, but till now there has been nothing. We are struggling to find a match because of our ethnic group.
“There are not so many donors from our coloured community, making it extremely difficult for us to find the perfect match,” said Gordon.
According to the Western Province Blood Transfusion Service, of the 5 million people living in the Western Cape, less than 1.2% of the population donates blood.
Nationally less than 1% of South Africans are blood donors.
This is despite the fact that at least 75% of the population might need a blood transfusion during their lifetime.
The SANBS says most of the blood collected by the blood bank is given to women during childbirth, and to cancer patients. and currently less than 1% of South Africans are active donors.
The SANBS needs to collect more than 800 000 donations every year.
This means it needs to collect more than 3 000 donations daily to meet the demand for blood in South Africa.
For people like Ammarah, with a history of cancer, it becomes vital to receive blood regularly in order to stay alive.