An 11-year-old girl’s appeal during De Warmste Week has led to 1,094 potential stem cell donors of Moroccan or North African origin registering with Rode Kruis Vlaanderen, the Flemish Red Cross.
Hafsa Bidri, who is 11 years old, suffers from the life-threatening blood disease beta thalassemia and regularly requires blood transfusions. A suitable stem cell donor could cure her, but she has not yet found one.
The chance of a match is highest with a donor of the same ethnic background. Last year, only 33 people of North African descent were registered as potential donors in the Red Cross’s database.
However, following Hafsa’s appeal, 425 potential donors registered within just one day on Saturday, and the number has continued to rise. As of Sunday, Rode Kruis Vlaanderen reported 1,094 new registrations.
Finding a stem cell donor is often more difficult for individuals of Turkish, North African, or Sub-Saharan African origin compared to people of Caucasian descent. Caucasian patients have a 96% chance of finding a suitable donor in the global database, while the probability drops to 66% for these other groups.
The organisation is working to increase these odds but notes that cultural barriers and lack of awareness can make recruitment harder. Ethnic background plays a crucial role in identifying a match, explains Vincent Verbeecke, spokesperson for Rode Kruis Vlaanderen.
Personal stories like Hafsa’s are essential to raising awareness and encouraging more people to register as potential donors, Verbeecke added
