A national bone marrow registry drive has launched to save young boy’s life

Robbie’s Warriors have been working hard to set up bone marrow drives all over South Africa as they are working to find the perfect match to save his life.

Morningside, Durban – Robbie Eddles was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of five-years-old. Over the years he has fought so bravely. Robbie recently relapsed for the third time and is now in need of a bone marrow transplant. His body is too sick for further treatment so now the only way forward is to receive a donation. His bone marrow is now 90% Leukemia and he urgently needs to find a match.

A nationwide drive to get South Africans to register as bone marrow donors has been launched to try and save Robbie’s life. There are only 77000 people on the SA Registry and there are so many sick people waiting for matching donors.

The South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has helped save the lives of nearly 500 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 way to get people involved, the warriors have set up a number of drives in Cape Town and Durban. The first drive is taking place at Robbie’s school Clifton Boys College, where students, teachers and parents have all come forward to help.

The second drive will be taking place on the 15th of February at the Constantia Clubhouse and the third drive will be on the 16th in Stellenbosch. They are also hoping to host a drive on the 14th at Durban Girls’ College.

Kerry O’Shaughnessy Moller is managing all the drives and asks that people please pre-register on the SABMR website and then contact her with the donor registration number. This is being done so that they can allocate the correct amount of swab kits on the day.

You can also speak to her for more information. All donors need to be between the age of 18 – 45 and pre-registered on the registry. You can find out how to get involved by contacting Kerry here. To register as a donor, you can do so online here.

If you do register and are not a match for Robbie, you could very well be a match for someone else. This registry drive won’t only save Robbie’s life, but possibly many many more as well.

“Even if we never find a match for Robbie, growing the South African Bone Marrow Registry across ALL RACES  has always been Robbie’s biggest wish as he has lost so many friends to Leukemia over the years. He has always said that he would love this to be his legacy. “

How to become a registered donor

• Register Online
• No blood or needles involved, just a cheek swab.
• Registering is free of charge
• If you do not qualify to be a bone marrow donor, you can donate financially to SABMR to help them cover the costs of testing and swab kits.

Sources: SABMR / Facebook / Robbie Eddles

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