Yoliswa and Akhona Xaba

by MHLABA MEMELA .

THE TIMES , 01 July, 2011

“I’ve always known that my sister loved me, but it never occurred to me that her love was so deep that she would save my life.”

That was how 16-year-old Akhona Xaba described her feelings for her younger sister, Yoliswa, who donated stem cells for a bone marrow transplant to save her sister.

The two girls underwent the procedure two weeks ago.

Akhona has suffered from acute myeloid leukaemia for three years.

Akhona – the first recipient of a stem cell transplant at a KwaZulu-Natal government hospital – has now been pronounced healthy.

Sitting next to her 14-year-old sister on her hospital bed, an ecstatic Akhona said: “Yoliswa has been an angel. She brought me hope and, above all, she gave me my life back. I now have a normal life like any other person.”

Yoliswa, who is from Umzimkhulu, in southern KwaZulu-Natal, began experiencing back pain in 2008.

“I was in and out of hospitals at the same time with my father, who died later in the year of diabetes complications. My family, especially my mother, had to endure so much pain,” she said.

“But I’m very happy that they have a final laugh. I’m grateful to all the medical staff who took care of me all these years while trying to treat my sickness.”

Yoliswa was modest about her life-saving contribution.

“I’m no angel, just human. When I was told that my sister can be saved with my blood, I agreed. My home was not the same without her. She was always sick and she had to drop out of school in 2009 because of her sickness,” she said.

“When doctors took me to hospital to save Akhona’s life, I did not feel pain. It was not painful at all because all that mattered was her life.”

The family is experiencing financial difficulties.

Yoliswa was accompanied to the hospital by her elder sister, Bongiwe, 30, because their unemployed mother, Albertina, could not afford the taxi fare.

Akhona will have to visit the hospital for check-ups over the next six months – but the family does not know where the money they will need for travelling will come from.

“We are happy that she is alive but we are now depending on God to pave the way until she recovers fully,” Bongiwe said.

Bone marrow transplants have been performed in Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital for the past 20 years. State hospitals perform between 30 and 40 every year.

Finding compatible donors is difficult. There are about 64000 donors on the SA Bone Marrow Registry.

The head of clinical haematology and bone marrow transplantation at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, Dr Jaimendra Singh, said it was a milestone for KwaZulu-Natal to be able to perform such a procedure.

“[We hope] this first allogeneic [involving tissues or cells that are genetically dissimilar and therefore immunologically incompatible] transplant will assist us to increase awareness about this potentially life-saving treatment,” he said.

The procedure is not as painful as is generally believed, he said, adding that more black bone marrow donors were needed.

“Patients have been dying because they could not afford to go to Cape Town for transplants, or they died while waiting for a transplant,” he said.

The International CML Foundation Launches, A New Beacon in the Treatment of CML.

Read about the launch on the website of The Max Foundation.