The Goodwood Islamic Society and The Sunflower Fund will hold a blood stem cell donor drive at the Goodwood Street mosque on Saturday April 6, from 12.30pm to 4.30pm.
The drive is in support of Dr Nabeelah Ismail who was recently diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
In a statement, Imaam Sheikh Ebrahiem Tofa, of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) South Africa, said: “Any form of organ donation that does not involve death of the donor is permissible and praiseworthy. This includes bone marrow stem cell donation and blood transfusions.” said Imaam Sheikh Ebrahiem Tofa spiritual leader at the MJC.
People don’t realise that it is painless to register as a donor, or that you only donate once in your life and that there are no major side effects of being a donor.
During a blood stem cell transplant t as it is more commonly known today, is essentially a procedure where a person’s defective cells in their bone marrow are replaced by healthy ones from their donor. For the donor, it involves a fairly painless procedure that can take up to six hours, which is very similar to donating platelets and with no major side effects.
If you are willing to consider helping anyone in need of a transplant for whom you might be a match, contact The Sunflower Fund and get registered telephonically or join us in person on Saturday April 6.
Registration takes less than 10 minutes. After completing a health screening, a DNA sample will be collected through a cheek swab. Refrain from food and beverages and hour before registering. If you’re interested to register,
To find out more visit www.sunflowerfund.org or call 0800 12 10 82 toll free.
