Little Khumo Needs You
More than two years, six-year-old Khumo is still waiting for a match
Every month, six-year-old Khumo packs a small bag and returns to hospital for blood transfusions and platelet support after being diagnosed with a blood disorder that has left his body unable to produce enough healthy blood cells. His only chance at survival is finding a matching stem cell donor.
Diagnosed with Fanconi anaemia in 2023, Khumo’s body now struggles to stop bleeding and recover the way it should, meaning even the smallest injuries, like a scraped knee or a nosebleed, can quickly become serious.
To keep him stable, Khumo depends on regular transfusions and platelet support, but this is only temporary. Doctors have explained that his best chance at survival is a stem cell transplant. A family search was done to find a match, but no donor was found. This means Khumo is now relying on a complete stranger to register and potentially save his life.
Now in Grade 2, Khumo had to repeat a year because he frequently fell ill and ongoing hospital visits caused him to miss so much school. Gogo Florence, who has raised him since he was a baby, carries both the grief of losing her daughter to cervical cancer and the daily responsibility of raising her grandson while holding onto hope for his future.
For children living with Fanconi anaemia, a stem cell transplant offers the best chance of survival. But finding a matching donor is incredibly difficult because patients are most likely to match with someone who shares a similar ethnic background.
For more than two years, the family from Mamelodi has held onto hope that somewhere, someone they have never met is his perfect match.
If you are between the ages of 17 and 55 and in good general health, register as a potential stem cell donor and you could be the life-saving match Khumo needs.
Remember, all costs related to the donation process are taken care of by DKMS Africa.
