Durban – South Africans are encouraged to become blood cell stem donors.

According to DKMS Africa, an international non-profit organisation dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders, 510 children lost their lives to cancer in 2020.

They say these deaths could have been prevented had the patients received a transplant from a matching blood stem cell donor.

“Unfortunately, however, only 0.04% of South Africans are donors, making finding a match almost impossible,” said Palesa Mokomele, director of corporate communications at DKMS Africa.

Sunflower Day, observed today, is an annual campaign that aims to raise funds and create awareness for blood cancer patients, through the sale of the Tubes of Hope at Pick n Pay stores nationwide.

“All funds generated go towards helping patients who can’t afford a transplant, creating awareness around the need for and the process of becoming a stem cell donor and covering the costs of the HLA tissue-typing test involved in the recruitment of donors,” Mokomele said.

The DKMS team will be handing out 510 sunflowers at St George’s Cathedral to commemorate the 510 children who lost their lives to blood cancer in 2020.

“This activation also serves to provide hope for the children who are still suffering from blood cancer and is a plea to South Africans to help provide these children with a second chance at life by registering to become blood stem cell donors,” Mokomele said.