WESTERN CAPE. — Jeanet Mokoena (23), a honours student in linguistics at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), has donated stem cells to an American man in his 50s suffering from leukaemia. Mokoena registered as a stem cell donor early in 2025 during an awareness campaign on campus. She only heard early in 2026 that she was a suitable donor for the patient.
When the international organisation DKMS asked her whether she would be willing to donate, she agreed without hesitation. Palesa Mokomele, head of corporate affairs and communication at DKMS Africa, says one of the biggest misconceptions about stem cell donation is that it can negatively affect a donor's long-term health. According to her, the body naturally produces new blood-forming stem cells and replenishment begins shortly after donation, with levels usually returning to normal over the following days to weeks.
Mokoena, who grew up in Vanderbijlpark, says the help she received as a child from neighbours, community members and teachers taught her how important it is to help other people, even when you don't know them. Teachers, among others, stood together to pay for her bus fare and other necessities when she secured a place at UWC.
DKMS works with various educational institutions, including UWC, to encourage young people to register as stem cell donors. Younger donors are often preferred by treating doctors because it results in better transplant outcomes. South Africa has a shortage of registered donors from different communities, particularly from black, coloured and Indian communities.
A patient's chance of finding a suitable donor is greater when there are genetic similarities. Mokoena says the medical tests, injections and approximately six-hour stem cell collection procedure were a small sacrifice for her compared with what it could mean for the patient and his family. She hopes to eventually study up to PhD level.
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This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
