#HopeforHarryMan blood drive a success
The #HopeForHarryMan blood and bone marrow drive hosted by Merchiston Preparatory School last Wednesday was a huge success.
A total of 74 units of blood were donated and a further 80 people received swab tests and signed up to become bone marrow donors.
“It was just incredible to see the support of people. Some even travelled from my hometown Dundee to support. I am so unbelievably proud to be a part of our Merchiston and the greater PMB community. Let’s hope we can create more awareness around the need for blood in KZN and becoming a donor,” said Amy Leigh Johnson, the aunt of four-year-old O’Mullane, whose recent diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) inspired the drive.
Johnson also organised a fundraiser with the Merchiston community that raised R18 403 towards the South African Bone Marrow Registry.
Harry was diagnosed with ALL last month and required regular blood transfusions. However, due to a national dire shortage of blood stocks, added to the fact that Harry has a rare blood type, O-neg, which can only receive blood from O-neg donors, his family created the #HopeForHarryMan campaign to appeal for blood donors as well as raise awareness around the need for blood and bone marrow donors.
The campaign went viral and inspired other blood drives around the province. St Anne’s Diocesan College also held a blood drive in honour of Harry last week, in support of Harry’s mother, Sarah-Faye O’Mullane, who is a St Anne’s alumna.
At the beginning of October, after the country moved into alert level one, SANBS experienced a critical shortage of blood stocks, with reserves dropping to two days stock instead of the ideal five day blood stock reserve. While things are slowly picking up, eligible blood donors are encouraged to continue to donate blood to keep blood stocks up.
SANBS has a strong presence in Pietermaritzburg, frequenting local shopping centres regularly on a weekly basis.