On a 64-country mission to recruit stem cell donors

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A mission to save lives, a big truck and an open road.

These have been the three overarching aspects of Robin Lewis and his wife Jolandie's lives at the moment.

They finding people to sign up as stem cell donors. The couple were in Mossel Bay at the end of May and they signed up two donors. They were on their way to Cape Town, where they are staying for a stretch of time.

Their home town is Nelspruit.

Diagnoses

After Robin had a series of frightening diagnoses and hospital experiences, including a stem cell transplant and five months' hospitalisation, he felt compelled to find as many stem cell donors as possible.

"People die if they cannot have a stem cell transplant," Robin says and he mentions that he knows of two such people who died.

The couple's mission is called Numinous Expeditions. Numinous means, "having a strong religious and spiritual quality that makes you feel that God is present". (Oxford Dictionary).

Three continents

Robin and Jolandie plan to travel to three continents and 64 countries in 10 years on a stem cell donor recruitment drive, called Matches on the Map (#matchesonthemap).

He and Jolandie work on their project in conjunction with the The South African Bone Marrow Registry.

The registry's website explains that some sufferers of leukaemia and other blood diseases "will have a compatible donor in their family, but for most, they’ll need a stranger’s help - a stranger with their exact type of bone marrow tissue.

But with thousands of tissue types, finding that match is just a one in 100 000 chance."

Journey

Robin and Jolandie are doing their journey in a large truck.

Robin says simply: "We do stem celling matching. We locate 'lifesavers' by going from town to town, and country to country. We organise public events and do educational talks, signing people up as stem cell or bone marrow donors."

The couple will soon be going to Africa and after that, would like to go to Europe and Asia. Robin says: "We're nearly finished with South Africa.

"We are spending three months in Cape Town, where we have events and an international conference.

"After that we will go to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and the rest of Africa."

Robin and Jolandie only spent one night in Mossel Bay because they were behind schedule for arriving in Cape Town.

Make products

The couple's project is not funded. They make products to earn money.

One is called the boep pens bag: a small bag with a zip and a strap that you wear on your hips or across your shoulder.

There are various ways you can support Matches on the Map, such as signing up as a stem cell donor. It is free of charge and non-invasive. You receive a donor kit and take swabs yourself from your mouth.

You can also share information from https://numinousexpeditions.co.za and donate to the project: there is a Matches on the Map back-a-buddy account.

Otherwise, you can buy boep pens bags. Interestingly, Robin and Jolandie run their truck on used cooking oil. The viscosity of cooking oil and diesel is different, so they drive using diesel for the first 15 minutes of a trip and then switch to cooking oil.

For more information, contact Robin (083 414 1191 or L.robinlewis@gmail.com).

The truck Robin and Jolandie Lewis use, parked at the Point, Mossel Bay.