Ethnicity is extremely important in finding the right match for someone needing a bone marrow transplant.
Brenda Masuku was the South African Bone Marrow Registry’s (SAMBR) first black South African bone marrow donor – and it was almost by accident.
Encouraged by her white work colleagues who had decided to register as donors after hearing that a child from Durban needed a match, Brenda went along with them.
What happened next was that Brenda got a call from the Registry to say that she was a possible match for a patient in America who was currently in remission but could need a transplant in the future.
Even though she didn’t ever expect to donate, Brenda agreed.
Eighteen months later, Brenda heard that the patient had relapsed. But by this time she was seven months pregnant.
Because the injection received before a stem cell donation had never been tested on a pregnant woman, the transplant was deferred. A few months later, the patient was in critical need. Brenda stopped breastfeeding her six-month-old baby, received the injections, and donated. A few weeks later she was back to breastfeeding as normal.
As a mother herself, Brenda recognised that the patient was also someone’s child.
To give a child the chance to grow up, even for just a little longer, and to give a parent more time with their child is a true gift. And as Brenda said “so worth it”. And some years after the donation, Brenda and her daughter were invited to meet Brenda’s recipient in Los Angeles.
Despite the taboo against medical donations in the Black South African community, Brenda is one of SABMR’s strongest advocates in spreading awareness.
It’s something that you can do too.