Personal message

My name is Candice-Lee Cuthbert and I will be riding the 94.7 Cycle Challenge for The South African Bone Marrow Registry! 

Blood and bone marrow related diseases are not a mystery, but in fact a solvable challenge. There are however many patients in need of Bone Marrow Transplants to offer the best chance of survival. Part of the solution: we must get everyone in the world on a registry to give those in need that best chance of survival. Starting in South Africa. – Dr Charlotte Ingram.

Currently there are 35 million registered donors worldwide and counting, all heroes. And you can join them at no cost to you. However, marrow is related to heritage; because of our mixed inherited diversity.  There are always patients who need a donor.

When you register you are in effect going to perhaps be the match to someone of your own ethnic diversity, but it could also be to anyone in South Africa or the World.

Each patient has a 1 in 100 000 chance in finding a suitable matching donor. All we must do is tell every eligible person next to us to register. That’s it.  All for free.

There are however donor recruitment costs involved that the SABMR needs to cover. This includes carrying the cost of R2000 per swab test kit used to recruit new donors. Each kit needs to be sent away to laboratories for tissue-typing before the results are placed on an international computer registry.

As a non-profit public benefit organisation, the SABMR relies heavily on financial donations. By growing the registry and increasing the ethnic diversity, we will help more patients to find a suitable bone marrow match and if you are between the ages of 18 and 45 it does not cost you anything to join the registry.

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE 

On the 17th of November 2019 more than 20 cyclists will take part in the 94.7 Discovery Challenge in an effort to raise funds for the South African Bone Marrow Registry. Collectively their goal is to put foot to pedal to raise awareness as well as funds towards the SABMR donor recruitment and this will support the SABMR in Saving Lives. The target is R300 000.

For someone with a blood-related disease the clock is ticking in the race against time.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If the challenge exists, so must the solution. Let’s be their tomorrow, let’s be the solution, let’s tackle the race. Here’s where you can help:

 

• Donate to this page and help the SABMR send more kits out for testing and registering. Each entry is a possibility of saving the next patient in need.

 

• Tell you friends and family to register. The more donors on the registry the more lives we can save. More than 70% of patients in need of a stem cell transplant must find an unrelated donor and there is only a 1 in 100 000 chance of finding a suitable match.

 

                                                      TOGETHER WE CAN

 

Please help us create awareness and raise funds for this great cause. For every donation made, I will treat you to a glass of champagne!

                                          https://www.backabuddy.co.za/candice-lee-for-sabmr

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