Local gives gift of life to a stranger
A RICHARDS Bay businesswoman who has made three stem cell donations to her bone marrow transplant recipient over the last decade, encourages everyone to become a donor.
While Megan Erasmus Gauld has now reached the limit in stem cell donations that one person is allowed to make, she shares her experiences far and wide as, every year, thousands of people with leukaemia, other blood diseases and immune disorders reach a point where the only possible cure – and their only chance for survival – is a bone marrow transplant.
Some patients will have a compatible donor in their family, but most will need a stranger’s help - someone with their exact type of bone marrow tissue.
All three of Megan's donations were for the same person, who she had the pleasure of meeting in 2017 - four years after his treatment.
For Capetonian Richard Jupin, now 60, it was a long journey back to health after he was diagnosed with chronic lymphatic leukaemia at age 30.
He underwent regular chemotherapy for 19 years, until it simply 'stopped working'.
The South African Bone Marrow Registry found a perfect tissue match in Megan, and he received a stem cell donation in 2013.
He received two subsequent donations thereafter, after needing an emergency top-up of Megan's
lymphocytes (infection-fighting white blood cells).
The initial procedure was carried out at Ahmed Al-Kadi Private Hospital in Durban.
"I was added to the database after being tested as a child to see if I matched a family member who had leukaemia," said Megan.
"Sadly, there was no match and my details stayed on the database until I matched someone.
"I encourage everyone to have themselves tested and added to the database as it is an unbelievable privilege to be able to save someone's life," she said.
Visit www.sabmr.co.za/become-adonor to find out how to register.