#helpsavebrothers

Our Story

In June 2024, two young brothers Abu-Taalib, 7 and Ayyub, 4, from Constantia, Cape Town, were diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic brain disease called adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD).

After the family visited a haematologist they were told that the disease has a very poor prognosis due to how rare it is. Their only hope of survival is to have bone marrow transplants which could reverse the neurological damage.

Find out more about the brothers HERE

Our Objective

Since the prognosis, the family have been carrying out drives to get people swabbed and onto the bone marrow registry, which gets sent to DKMS which is a global, non-profit organisation dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders. Their mission is to find a matching blood stem cell donor for every blood cancer patient in need.

The boy's mother, Bibi Aysha Zoutenberg said “The bone marrow is the only hope and halts the disease, but it is an intense process for the boys as they have to first go through chemotherapy. The disease's prognosis is five to 10 years and when we were told the chances of finding a match is 1 in 100 000, that started our journey of getting tested. It is not common to be on a bone marrow registry but it is the same as donating blood. So when people find out they just need to swab their mouths, they become so enthusiastic”.

“It has become more than just the boys, we might find a donor who can help other children.”

The family is encouraging the public to get onto the bone marrow registry by visiting one of the DKMS drive locations listed below.

More details are available on Instagram and Facebook.

Drive Details

Save by registering as a bone marrow donor, and join the drive to save lives.

Is is a quick and easy 3 minute cheeck swab test, if you are a match, the procedure you will undergo is similar to that of a blood donation.

Find out more about hosting an event, a collaboration or registering kits HERE

Find out about upcoming events HERE