BUSINESS NEWS - “The barriers are immense,” says Palesa Mokomele, Head of Community Engagement and Communications at DKMS Africa. 

“From limited healthcare infrastructure and late diagnoses to the devastating reality that many families are forced to abandon treatment due to costly transport, safe accommodation near treatment facilities, or childcare for their other children.”

Children like Linemihle and Nkanyezi are bearing the brunt 

Twelve-year-old Linemihle was diagnosed with Fanconi Anaemia, a rare genetic disorder affecting her bone marrow. Her only hope lies in a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor, but no match has been found yet.

In the meantime, she relies on frequent blood transfusions to survive. Her mother, Nombulelo, is doing her best to support her daughter despite overwhelming financial pressure. 

“I wish I could take her illness myself. No parent should have to watch their child suffer like this.”

Fourteen-year-old Nkanyezi’s story is equally heartbreaking. Misdiagnosed at first, his acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) went undetected for months. 

His condition worsened throughout 2024, culminating in a terrifying moment during his final Grade 8 exam, when he suddenly struggled to breathe. 

Despite the pain, he passed and progressed to Grade 9. But instead of returning to school, he began 2025 in a hospital bed, receiving urgent treatment. “We were told it was just anaemia at first,” says his mother, Mpokeleng. “Only later, after weeks of tests, did we learn it was much more serious.”

These are just two of the many children whose lives hang in the balance. “The biggest challenge is not only the disease itself, it’s everything around it,” stresses Mokomele.

But there is hope.

Thanks to the generosity of private donors, funds have been raised to make it possible for state patients aged 0 to 18 to receive life-saving stem cell transplants from unrelated donors.

“South Africa’s public healthcare system does cover stem cell transplants for patients with matching related donors,” explains Mokomele. “But for those who rely on unrelated donors, there are two huge hurdles: first, finding a genetic match, and second, covering the costs associated with donor testing, collection, and transport - costs that the public sector does not currently fund.”

Beyond the cost of transplants, private funding has also helped ease the heavy burden on families, enabling them to travel to hospitals, stay nourished, and focus on their child’s recovery.

To give more children a fighting chance, greater collaboration with the private sector is essential. “We’re urging businesses, foundations, and individual donors to partner with us and the Department of Health. We need immediate financial support to save lives now, but also long-term investment to build sustainable systems that ensure no child is left behind,” concludes Mokomele.

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