Sunflower Month's hope that lasts: The baby who inspired a donor

A chance encounter in a hospital waiting area led to a remarkable full-circle moment when a South African stem cell donor unknowingly saved the life of the very child who inspired her to join the registry. In October 2022, Petro was walking into a hospital in Centurion for a routine check-up when she stopped to speak to a grandmother sitting near the entrance with a baby on her lap. The little girl, just a few months old, was receiving treatment for leukaemia.

Lydia's Diagnosis

The little girl was Lydia. At four months old, she was diagnosed with Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and admitted to hospital the same day. Her medical team had been clear from the start that a stem cell transplant offered the best chance of survival. Towards the end of 2022, a donor match was identified, but shortly before the scheduled transplant, the planned donation was unable to proceed.

The Call to Donate

When the call came for Petro to donate, she was nearing 50 and half expected to be told she no longer qualified. Lydia was admitted for her transplant in February and spent nearly seven weeks in isolation with her mother before signs of recovery gradually emerged. Months later, once the confidentiality period had lapsed, Petro joined a WhatsApp call with Lydia’s family and began telling them why she had registered, only to discover they were the exact family from the hospital.

A Future Restored

Lydia is now four years old, has caught up on developmental milestones she had missed, and has not been readmitted since the transplant. Palesa Mokomele, Head of Community Engagement and Communications at DKMS Africa, notes that the gap between a willing volunteer and a usable match is a financial one, emphasizing that every contribution puts another swab through the laboratory.