I am Chene Strydom. I was born and raised in Ladysmith, a small town in KwaZulu Natal. I moved to Port Elizabeth in 2019 to study teaching at Nelson Mandela University. Throughout my years in Port Elizabeth, I worked as a swimming teacher and an au pair. After completing my studies in 2023 I moved back home to Ladysmith to start my career as a teacher at Hamilton School where I am currently the grade 6 teacher.
In 2019, I was bored at home one day and while speaking to my dad on the phone he suggested that I register to become a bone marrow donor. This sparked something in me. Registering to become a donor was always something I wanted to do as the lady who inspired me to start playing piano had been diagnosed with Leukaemia and her donor ended up being a young German gentleman.
The registration process was quite an easy one. After filling in some forms online, I was sent to the local pathology centre to get my mouth swab. I received my donor card a few weeks later and thought it would be something I wouldn’t need for a long time. I still mentioned it to my mom in December 2022 while on holiday when I found it in my cupboard. Little did I know that the universe had other plans for me.
I remember the day I received the phone call, 10 February 2023, to say that I was identified as a potential match. I was in the swimming pool busy coaching grades 1-3’s PE swimming so I missed Lisa Terblanche’s initial call. Luckily, I had True-Caller so I saw that I had missed a call from her. I was in absolute shock when she told me the news. I immediately phoned my mom and dad to tell them the news. I was so excited but also had my reservations as it was only a 7 out of 10 match with the data that was on record. After doing more blood tests, I was told it could take months before hearing whether or not I would be doing the procedure, especially with the blood having to go through testing in the States as well. So you can imagine the shock and confusion when I received a phone call about a month later to say that we were going through with the procedure and that I was a perfect match for the recipient.
After having my medical done with Dr Stockland, who made sure I was comfortable throughout the medical, I was all set to do the harvest on the 3rd of April 2023. I must just mention that the day I had my medical done was the same day I received the news that I was successful in my job application to the school I am currently working at. The universe was really on my side.
Now the days leading up to the harvest were some really tough days. The side effects of the GCSF injections were not pleasant at all. I experience bone aches, muscle aches, headaches and insomnia. I had never felt this way before, but one thought kept running through my head, “It will all be worth it in the end”.
My harvest went by quite quickly. The nurse who was with me explained the whole process to me, showing me how the machine works that your blood goes through. My harvest started at 8:21 am and a mere 4 hours later double the amount of needed stem cells were collected. I experienced slight pins and needles but after having the necessary medication given to me, I was back to feeling good.
The side effects of the injections slowly went away in the days after the harvest, and I was back to feeling my usual self within 2 weeks.
Life after the donation has been a relatively normal one. I just find myself often wondering how the recipient is doing and having the feeling that there is someone with your DNA on the opposite side of the world is quite amazing.
This is an experience that if I could, I would do over and over again.
The love and support shown to me throughout the process as well as after has been incredible. I will never stop talking about my experience and educating people to the best of my ability as what I have discovered is many still think it is the old procedure of drilling into bone, which is no longer the case due to the technological advancements made over the years.
I encourage anyone who is able to register as a donor, to do. The feeling you have of knowing you could have aided in giving someone a second chance is indescribable and something that will stay with you for the rest of your life.