Having written about so many South Africans needing stem cells to fight blood disorders, it was time to take the plunge and register myself. This was my experience:
South Africa (21 September 2024) – This morning, I got an email from DKMS Africa confirming that my donor registration had taken the next step in the process – my swabs are off to Germany to be tested and catalogued – I am on my way to being a donor, maybe… I thought I would share the experience so you know first-hand what the process is.
I kept meaning to register over the past few years, but it would slip my mind and then months would pass. When we would feature another story on Good Things Guy, I would rush to go do it and then get pulled somewhere else and miss the chance – you know, life just kept happening. Thankfully, in late November 2023, I finally had a moment to sit in front of my laptop and start the initial registration process, and it turns out, it was simpler than I thought!
This is my experience of trying to become a Registered Stem Cell Donor.
I will share all the information on how to register, below. I followed the same steps to check my eligibility. Firstly, do you live in South Africa? Yes! Okay, next step. Have you registered for any other stem cell registries? This was my first time so on to the next step. This is where you start filling in all your personal information.
You will need to read through a medical conditions list just to make sure you qualify. Some big disqualifiers include Hepatitis C, HTLV or HIV, obesity, cancer (even if you are now cancer-free) and so many more.
You then need to share your weight and height, so make sure you have a scale and a good idea of how tall (or short – that’s me, I’m the short one) you are.
After all these prompts, you will be told if you are eligible to register or not.
The next step is sharing your name, surname, contact info and ID number. This starts the process of requesting your swab kit, which will be delivered to an address of your choosing.
The courier company will reach out within 5 to 10 days after registering, to confirm an address for delivery of your swab kit. Mine was in my hand the very next week. At the same time my kit arrived, the Good Things Guy team started winding down for 2023, and we closed our laptops for the year. So I popped it on my printer and accidentally forgot about it.
I got a call a few days before Christmas, from the courier company, asking if I was ready for them to collect my Swab Kit. I absolutely was! They agreed to collect it on the 27th of December 2023. So a turnaround of 3 weeks in total. Considering it was the festive season, I figured that was really good!
The kit came with very clear instructions, three swabs and a the things needed to return the kit to the courier (already pre-filled in). The whole process of doing the swabs took about 5 minutes. It is important to note that you shouldn’t eat, drink or smoke for at least 10 minutes before doing your swabs – so it is probably best to do it first thing in the morning – that is when I did it.
Also, keep an empty glass nearby to let your swabs air-dry before you package them up. This is important and it prevents the swab heads from touching any surfaces. After 2 minutes, you can put them in their envelope and follow the instructions to package them up.
As I mentioned, today my kit is on its way to Germany, where it will be processed, and all going well – in 6 to 8 weeks, I will know if I am finally on the lifesaving database. They will confirm via email.
The entire process was so simple! And bar a little effort on my side, such a quick way to give back to someone in need. I would 100% recommend it.
I will be sure to keep you updated on how things go; if I get to donate, I will absolutely share that process, too! Fingers crossed!
How to register
If you are between the ages of 18 – 55 and in general good health, request a swab kit at dkms-africa.org. It starts with a swab, and it ends with saving a life!
There are other ways to support blood cancer and blood disorder patients if you are not eligible to donate stem cells. You can help DKMS Africa spread awareness, host donor drives, contribute financially or order and distribute swab kits to your network. You can find out more here.
Sources: DKMS Africa
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