I am one of the luckiest people in the country. Not only was I able to donate my stem cells to an unrelated patient in need, but I was the 100th person in South Africa to do so.
This is the story of Johan Weyers from the Northern Cape who describes himself as a “South African to the core.”
Johan received a call from the SABMR in 2014 to undergo a few tests to establish if he was a suitable match for an unrelated patient. The initial tests confirmed that he was indeed a match. He had made his way to Cape Town for the final tests and said everything happened very quickly thereafter as he donated his stem cells to the patient in April that same year.
On the eve of his stem cell harvest, he wrote an anonymous letter to the recipient to wish them the best with not only the procedure, but that they would recover completely.
“My hope was that as a result of the donation, they could spend more time with their family. While I was anxious about the donation, I could only imagine what the recipient’s family was feeling like and worried about whether the stem cells will be the life-saving cure.”
Johan’s stem cell harvest on 8 April 2014 took around nine hours. The following day he was called to the SABMR’s office where he arrived to much excitement and a bunch of balloons. He was the 100th donor to donate in South Africa!
“Everything was worthwhile. I was privileged to meet my recipient and his family in 2019. At the time, donors and patients were only able to make contact after five years, but every year on the 8th of April, I contacted the SABMR to enquire about the recipient. To meet him and his family in person was almost unreal.”
2024 will mark 10 years since the successful transplant and Johan says he cannot wait for their 10 year re-union!
“To every person who walks this road, whether donor or recipient, everyday counts; we do not know what tomorrow holds. I believe that we were given to this world to make a difference. Your small contribution could gift another person with life.”