National Bandana Day

Posted on 9 October 2014

Support National Bandana Day on 12 October 2014 and become a donor – it’s a simple procedure (and not that painful!).

‘We all have hopes and dreams. By purchasing a bandana for R25 you could make a difference and offer those fighting leukaemia and other life-threatening blood disorders a chance of a future,’ says Tarryn Corlett, chief executive officer for The Sunflower Fund.

How can you support the day? By simply buying a bandana from your nearest Pick n Pay or local Round Table and wear it to show your support. Funds raised through National Bandana Day go towards paying for the expensive tissue typing (DNA) tests for new donors to join The South African Bone marrow Registry (SABMR). ‘Please support this campaign and help make a difference together, we can save more lives and we can’t do this without your support,’ says Tarryn.

Bone marrow donation – what you should know
If you’d like to do a bit more and become a donor, here’s what you should know. The odds of finding a donor are 1:100 000. Here’s what you should know regarding the procedure if you’re a match.

What happens if I’m a match?
The medical procedure for collecting stem cells from the blood is called a harvest. If you’re asked to donate, you’ll have a thorough medical examination and if you are still agreeable, growth factor (G-CSF) injections will be administered. These injections first increase the production of stem cells in your bone marrow and then they release your stem cells into your bloodstream. This procedure makes it much easier to reach your stem cells and comes with minimal discomfort.

What does the actual donation involve? Will it hurt?
Firstly, this procedure is not painful! It’s very similar to donating blood or platelets – so you can rest assured that no one will be drilling into your bones to remove actual bone marrow!

The harvest process can take four to six hours as blood travels through a needle out of the one arm through a machine called a cell separator, which separates and collects the life-saving stem cells into a small bag. Your blood is returned back to you through your other arm. This can happen on two consecutive days. During this procedure, you’ll be kept comfortable. Once you’re finished, you can go home immediately.

For more information about the National Bandana Day and The Sunflower Fund, call 0800 12 10 82 or visit www.sunflowerfund.org.za.

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The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.