The two start their journey – dubbed Matches on the Map – this month, and will be travelling 11 000 kilometres through Africa, Europe and Asia in their custom-built motor home. Known as Betsy, the vehicle is an old fire truck that runs on used cooking oil to be more cost-effective and sustainable.
The journey’s objective is to sign up thousands of donors in partnership with the South African Bone Marrow Registry along the way – because, as Robin knows, the chance of finding a matching donor is like finding a needle in a haystack. “If it wasn’t for the stem cell transplant, I would not be here today. Since then, we’ve been plotting ideas of how to raise greater public awareness around stem cell donation, and that’s how ‘Matches on the Map’ was born,” says Robin.
“This project will bring us closer to making our donor database more diverse. The more donors we have from various ethnic backgrounds, the greater the chances of a match,” she says.
Much has gone into the planning of this journey – hundreds of hours of research, and building Betsy has taken almost four years. “After my transplant five years ago, my wife and I started planning the trip with the hope of changing the world,” says Robin. “Our plan was very ambitious, and we soon realised that we couldn’t do it alone. As Fanconi Anemia nearly claimed my life, we decided that we would also focus on establishing support groups for patients with this disease as we make our way through various countries, meeting up with families that are affected, and sharing their stories.
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If you would like to become a donor, contact the SABMR on 021 447 8638 or email .
To donate to Robin and Jolandie’s journey, scan the QR code to visit their Backabuddy page.
