On Sunday, December 4, Wollongong’s gridiron team, the Mustangs, faced a very different kind of physical challenge. Seven players rolled up their sleeves to donate blood and sign up to the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.
The burly players filled the reception area of the Lifeblood Donor Centre in Kembla Street, Wollongong.
They were prompted into action by Match4Maggie, an initiative to help Coledale’s Maggie Banyard and people like her find a matching marrow donor. The sport-loving teenager has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
It was the first time Sebastian Pennisi, 29, from Woonona, had set foot in a blood donation centre. The defensive back player confided he was nervous about needles.
“That’s why I avoided it for this long. But I’m keen to help out now,” he said.
Currently there is a need for men aged 18 to 35 to come forward, donate blood and ask to sign up to the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.
Sebastian: “Our footy team is over 18 and pretty much bang-on that age criteria.”
The presence of his teammates, the camaraderie, and the jokes helped Sebastian with his nerves. His other worry – that he might have to go through with a bone marrow procedure if he was a match – was also allayed. Sebastian learned that in 90 percent of cases, the necessary stem cells can be extracted from blood.
Sebastian said: “With the bone marrow, it could be huge for someone ...
“Even if I’m not a match for Maggie, at least somewhere, someone, I can help out worldwide.
“Get down. Get down to your local centre. Make sure you register as well for the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. I had no clue about it, until they let us know.”
If you are, or know, a man aged 18 to 35, please go to match4maggie.com for more information. If you would like to donate blood, Wollongong Blood Donor Centre is at 45-53 Kembla Street, Wollongong.
Note: there used to be a rule preventing people who lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996 from giving blood in Australia, but it was changed on 25 July 2022. (Source: Australian Red Cross Lifeblood)