For near on two years, the Mighty Mack Army has watched and rallied as Mackenzie Friedman has fought and overcome her cancer thanks to an anonymous bone marrow donor; today one of those supporters has potentially matched to help save another life.
Johannesburg, South Africa (29 March 2023) – Mackenzie “Mighty Mack” Friedman has inspired thousands of people to register as bone marrow/stem cell donors. Her story started making headlines in May 2021 after she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). Her aunts Amy Stanton and Nikita Friedman created the Mighty Mack social pages and the Mighty Mack Army was born.
Through consistent updates about Mack’s illness, her need for blood donors and eventually, bone marrow donors, thousands of Mighty Mack Army supporters signed up in the hopes of helping. Her story grew and she began to feel like family to many.
All of Mack’s family signed up to be donors when the time came, in the hopes of being her much-needed match. Sadly, nobody did match and so the search for an anonymous donor outside the family began. By October 2021, Mackenzie had found her match and the process began for her to have the lifesaving transplant.
Even though she eventually found her match, the family has continued to advocate for blood and bone marrow donors. Throughout Mackenzie’s battle, her parents Megan and Bronson, connected with other families going through the same struggles. It is for them and every child undergoing treatment of blood cancers and disorders, that they continue to raise awareness today.
Having one of the Mighty Mack Army supporters get that all-important notice of being a potential match, truly warms the heart! And you could be next! If you are eligible, you can become a donor using the details below.
As for updates on Mackenzie, they are still taking place each week on Facebook. You can follow along here. She is in the middle of a brief bout of chemo before another small transplant to get her 93% donor cells up to 100% but she is still cancer free.
How to become a registered donor
- Register Online at www.dkms-africa.org (formally known as The Sunflower Fund) or www.sabmr.co.za.
- You will be notified if you qualify to be a donor by working through their lists.
- No blood or needles involved, just a cheek swab.
- Registering is free of charge.
Minimum Requirements to be a Bone Marrow Donor:
- You are between the ages of 18 and 45 years old.
- You have a minimum weight of 50kgs.
- You have a BMI of around 40 (or lower).
- Potential donors must be in good health and have no condition that donating would adversely affect.
How to become a blood donor
- Register at your nearest blood bank; you can find one via the SANBS website here.
- You can also register at a blood drive near you.
- The SANBS team will do an intake survey with you using the below criteria, and should you qualify, you can donate on that very same day.
Minimum Requirements to be a Blood Donor:
- You are between the ages of 16 and 75 years old, for first-time donors.
- You weigh a minimum of 50 kgs (and platelets a minimum of 55 kgs)
- You are in good health.
- You lead a low-risk lifestyle.
- You consider your blood safe for transfusion.
- You have had a balanced meal within four hours of donating blood.
- You have not donated blood in the last 56 days (and platelets in the last 14 days.)
- Your pulse is between 50-100 regular beats per minute.
- Your blood pressure is below 180 systolic (first number) and below 100 diastolic (second number) (180/100mmHg) and above 100 systolic (first number) and above 60 diastolic (second number) (100/60mmHg).
- Your haemoglobin level is 12.5 g/dL or above.
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