AmaZulu FC public relations officer Philani Ndlela, Owami Mbhele, who had to stop playing soccer because of a blood disorder, and AmaZulu praise singer Siyabonga Shezi, are campaigning with DKMS to encourage fans, supporters and friends to sign up as stem cell donors to give cancer the red card.Picture: Shelley Kjonstad/ Independent Newspapers
Durban — It is apt that the announcement of DKMS Africa’s partnership with football club AmaZulu comes in the week known best for the ultimate sacrifice made, that of Jesus Christ on the cross.
DKMS, previously the Sunflower Fund, is pairing up with soccer clubs around the country to ask players and their supporters to make small sacrifices in becoming stem cell donors.
The process of becoming a donor is painless, while making a donation will naturally involve some pain, the insertion of a needle being required.
The partnership with soccer clubs is genius for a number of reasons.
With their vast, fanatical following, these clubs could be the best way of communicating the need for donations, and swelling the ranks of donors.
Currently there are just 76 000 donors registered out of our 62 million population, a woefully small number which makes it difficult to find matches for those in need of stem cell transplants, which are used to treat various cancers and blood disorders.
And with the number of people of colour, and especially black people, suffering from various cancers increasing, it is essential that the number of donors of colour is also increased because this will maximise the likelihood of finding matches for those needing transplants.
As Owami Mbhele says, there is usually a 1-in-100 000 chance of finding a matching donor across DKMS’s global network, but with only 76 000 donors currently registered in South Africa, the chances of finding matches locally are vastly reduced.
While the concept of transplanting is difficult to explain in some cultures, it is hoped that the universality of the language and culture of soccer can be used to break down these barriers and increase the number of donors.
A small sacrifice on your part could literally bestow the gift of life.
Independent on Saturday