After the loss of her own mother following a failed attempt at finding her a matching stem cell donor, Sam Suter, Creative Director of Black Bean Productions, took to her camera to create awareness.
Over the last 10 years, Black Bean Productions’ films have been geared toward addressing environmental and humanitarian issues.
The experience of losing a loved one prompted Suter to lead the Black Bean team to create an educational video speaking to the life-saving work of the SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR).
Albeit short, the two-minute video tugs at the heartstrings and aims to raise awareness for stem cell donation among South Africans.
Suter says she first came to know of the SABMR when her own mother got ill, with a rare type of anaemia. She needed a bone marrow stem cell transplant, but sadly no match was found.
“In an effort to help, I signed up as a donor with the SABMR in 2010. Years later, I received a call from the SABMR informing me that I could be a potential match for a patient, and I jumped for joy at a second opportunity to help someone.
“The entire process, including medical checks went smoothly, but the final round of testing unfortunately showed that I wasn’t a 100% match for the patient. This made me realise just how difficult it is to find a match, which inspired me to make the clip.
“In making the video, I learnt that matches are dependent on ethnicity and was shocked to learn of the dire shortage of donors of colour on our local registry. Given our diverse population and that the vast majority of patients needing a transplant are children, it hit me hard, as I’m also a mother of two young children, who I love dearly.
“I hope that the clip dispels any myths that people may have around bone marrow stem cell donation and inspires more people to become donors. There is really no greater feeling than knowing you could have the opportunity to save someone’s life,” she says.
Deputy Director for the SABMR, Jane Ward, says she cannot express her gratitude enough for the video.
“Sam is one in a million! She cares so much about the welfare of others, animals and our planet, and we’d like to thank her and her team for making such a thought-provoking video.
“Our aim is to educate communities throughout South Africa about the importance of stem cell donation in the hopes of expanding the registry to give every patient in need of a transplant the best chance of finding their genetic twin. We want to give every patient a fighting chance, but that can only be achieved if our donor pool is big enough.”
Suter says the video was really important for the Black Bean team.
“While also still struggling to get back on our feet financially post the pandemic, we felt compelled to make the video and did so pro bono. We really hope it’ll make a difference and we encourage everyone to act by signing up as a donor.
“I believe the more you give, the more you receive. At Black Bean, we are passionate about purpose-filled work and creating content that can in some way play a part in affecting real change.”
The short clip, which has been translated into four languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa can be viewed on the SABMR Facebook page and SABMR’s YouTube channel.
If you would like to become a donor, contact the SABMR on 021 447 8638 or email: donors@sabmr.co.za. Financial donations can also be made via www.sabmr.co.za/donate.
