47 cyclists have dedicated their Virgin Active 947 Rides to the South African Bone Marrow Registry; they each hope to fund swab kits to the total value of R150,000
Johannesburg, South Africa (18 November 2022) – The Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg event is taking place this weekend. Many cyclists have dedicated their rides to causes close to their hearts. 47 people have chosen the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR).
SABMR was established in 1991 to help South Africans find unrelated bone marrow donors. Every year, hundreds of South Africans with blood diseases such as leukaemia reach the point where their only chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant. For about 30% of patients, a matched donor can be found in their own family; for the other 70%, their only hope is to find a matched unrelated donor identified by the
To date, they have saved the lives of around 600 patients with life-threatening blood disorders by matching them with healthy, unrelated bone marrow donors from South Africa and the rest of the world.
As a non-profit public benefit organisation, the SABMR relies heavily on financial donations to cover the costs of donor recruitment which costs around R1500 per swab test kit. Each kit needs to be sent to an international laboratory for tissue typing before the results are placed on the SABMR’s database, to which donor registries around the world have access.
47 cyclists have committed to raising R150,000 to cover the costs of more swab kits. So far, they have raised over R60,000 between them.
“I got roped into riding this event last year and I discovered a biker gang that I never knew existed. Some say it takes courage to stick to the plan, but courage I do not have. Instead I ride this race, a journey if you will, for a cause that has courage and a plan to deliver greatness and joy to many other South Africans, that I cannot. Come 20 November 2022, I will be joining this biker gang, called the “Fat Tyre Gang” on our journey around the 011 for a great cause and in search of a great time” – Geoffrey Brink
You can check out each of their funds here.
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