After Oumie had been identified as a
suitable donor she was encouraged by her family and a few of her
friends. Not all were supportive though. Some tried to
persuade her not to go through with it. So called "friends" warned
of health problems that she would face, how she would not be able to
have babies afterwards. Some even warned that she may die.
Fortunately Oumie was not put off by this nonsense.
So how did Oumie feel about the
whole donation process? She said that she was a bit
nervous but the procedure was "simple, straight forward and
painless". She experienced no after affects.
Today her sister is now, in Oumie's
words "a very healthy woman, which is great". And how
about Oumie? "I am very happy and expecting a baby".
So Oumie was privileged to be able
to save the life of her sister and now looks forward to
welcoming a new life into this world.
However most people who require bone
marrow transplants do not find a donor from within their own
family. In fact less than 30 per cent do. And that
is one reason why the unrelated Bone Marrow Register is so
important. Nearly three quarters of bone marrow donors
worldwide come from this register.
However, there are not enough people
currently registered as potential bone marrow donors. And
this problem is even worse for black or minority ethnic patients
waiting for a bone marrow transplant. And many patients die, the
medical doctors unable to find a suitable donor in time.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
You can make a difference. The question is . . . will you?
Thirty
five year old Oumie Saine is from Banjul in The Gambia,
West Africa. In August 2005 she became a stem cell
donor for her sister who was suffering from Leukaemia.
Thanks to Oumie her sister is still alive today.