The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sunday News Correspondent
A 10-year-old boy from Emakhandeni in Bulawayo is seeking US$30 000 to undergo a bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with fanconi anaemia in 2016.
The boy, Sibusiso Moyo was admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital last month after his condition deteriorated. His mother, Ms Nobuhle Moyo, said after being diagnosed with the condition four years ago, he has been living with the condition but last month it got to a point which saw him being admitted to hospital.
“After the initial diagnosis in 2016 at Mpilo we went to Harare where the condition was confirmed and we were told the only cure would be for him to get a bone marrow transplant. The doctors told us the transplant cannot be done locally and we will have to go to India. Unfortunately, we do not have the funds, whose total costs for the whole process was put at US$30 000. We are appealing to well-wishers to assist us raise the money to enable him to undergo the procedure,” she said.
According to stjude.org, fanconi anemia is a rare and serious inherited blood disorder that leads to bone marrow failure.
It prevents bone marrow from making enough new blood cells for the body to work properly. Fanconi anemia can also cause bone marrow to make faulty blood cells. This can lead to serious health problems such as leukemia, a type of blood cancer.
The condition is most often diagnosed in children aged between three and 14. Ms Moyo said Sibusiso cannot naturally produce bone marrow.
“Doctors have confirmed that Sbu has run out of bone marrow and it is critical that he gets a transplant soon. Sbu is in agony with pain, lethargic and also affected by weight loss as he cannot eat. He was struggling to play with friends and was spending most of the time asleep,” she said.
Fanconi anemia is a type of aplastic anemia — a condition that causes the blood to have a lower than normal number of blood cells. In Fanconi anemia, the bone marrow does not make enough or stops making all three types of blood cells—red blood cells (to carry oxygen), white blood cells (to fight infection) and platelets (to help blood clot).
Although Fanconi anemia is a blood disorder, it can also affect many of the body’s other organs, tissues and systems. Children who inherit Fanconi anemia are at higher risk for birth defects and for developing certain cancers and other serious health conditions. Those willing to assist can contact Ms Moyo on 0782119049 or can do so through a gofundme page set up to fundraise for Sibusiso.
