Help Mpumelelo

19-Year-Old Mpumelelo Needs a Stem Cell Donor to Survive

For 19-year-old Mpumelelo, life was full of dreams. He loved playing soccer, DJing, and spending time with friends. He had just finished high school and hoped to study IT, building a future he had imagined for himself. But earlier this year, everything changed.

Mpumelelo started experiencing unusual symptoms, bleeding in his mouth, constant headaches, and dizziness. “At first, I didn’t know what was happening,” he recalls. After being moved between hospitals, only then was he diagnosed with aplastic aneamia, a condition where the body stops producing enough new blood cells.

Since then, his life has been revolving around hospital visits and blood transfusions every three weeks. “I can’t go to school or play soccer anymore,” he says. “It’s hard, but I try to keep going.”

His mother, who has been his unwavering support, shares the pain: “Sometimes I cry every day… I ask myself why this is happening to my son. His the eldest of 3, and after I lost my husband in 2025, I relied on Mpumelelo to be my supporter. It pains me to see him ill.”

None of Mpumelelo’s siblings are a match. His only hope is finding a stem cell donor outside his family. “I just want to live a normal life again,” he says.

You can be the one to save Mpumelelo. Register as a stem cell donor today, just a simple swab could give him a second chance at life.

If you are between 17 - 55 and in good health, you can make a difference today. Register as a stem cell donor and help give patients a second chance at life.

Remember, all costs related to the donation process are taken care of by DKMS Africa.

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