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Mail & Guardian August 19 to 25 2016 32
TUT Center for Tissue Engineering Advertorial

All in a day’s work

Retrieving donor tissue means dealing kindly
and respectfully with the bereaved with the help of a prosthetic device
and neatly closed with sutures. This
enables the funeral home to prepare
Willa de Ruyter the donor and their family. Another the donor for the funeral service, and
pillar is the close working relation- the family can still choose to have
eing a tissue pro- ship between the procurement offic- an open casket and viewing of their
curement officer is ers and the co-ordinators. When loved one.
both challenging and the CTE is notified of the passing
‘Bextremely satisfying. of a person, the co-ordinator is usu- What is the most satisfying
The donation from one tissue donor ally the first to speak to the family part of your job?
can benefit up to 50 people,” explains about the possibility of donation. At The CTE provides a wide range of
Marais Steyn, a procurement officer this time, the donation possibilities allografts (tissue graft from donors)
for the past 15 years. and process will be explained to the to hospitals and specialists at an
Steyn heads up the CTE’s (Centre family, and written consent must be affordable rate says Steyn, which
for Tissue Engineering) team of three obtained before the retrieval officers means that more South Africans
co-ordinators and four retrieval offic- step in to commence with the pro- have access to life-changing treat-
ers, who work nationally to ensure cess of procuring organs and tissue. ment. These include bone allografts
the efficient retrieval of tissue. In the event that the family does not for orthopaedic purposes; spinal
With a broad grin he shares how he agree to the donation, we handle the fusions; dental work; maxilla facial
is a psychologist, sociologist and pro- situation in such a manner that they procedures to repair trauma to the
curement officer all at the same time. still experience it in a positive way.” face; tendons, which are often used
“It is all in a day’s work. Humanity, Steyn adds that the body of every to repair sport injuries; corneas; and
sympathy, empathy — and of course donor is treated with the utmost skin, which is commonly used to
extreme professionalism — are prob- respect at all times. “The donation treat burn victims.
ably the most important qualities of organs, tissue and bone is such a “The feedback from doctors and
for a procurement officer. The ini- life-changing, altruistic decision and hospitals and even tissue recipi-
tial contact with the bereaved family I have immense respect for every ents on the success of skin or cor-
is often very stressful and it takes a person and family who made the nea transplants — or the successful
special, well-trained kind of person decision to make a difference to the implantation of a bone allograft —
to work with them in a sympathetic lives of others in this way.” Once the makes the job worth it every time.
and professional way. tissue for which consent has been It makes me realise time and again
“One of the pillars on which the given is retrieved from the donor that I can, and do, make a difference Marais Steyn prepares donated skin tissue for banking purposes.
CTE stands is respect and dignity for body, the retrieval site is restored every day of my life.” Photo: Amanda van Rensburg
She can’t Recipient stories give hope

wait to hit the Louise Ferreira Preez was living in England on a a success, and Du Preez had much

gap year when he began experienc- more movement in his shoulder —
Jolinda Botha
dancefloor again A master’s student in consumer it was an old sports injury that was in.
ing severe shoulder pain; he thought
but three months later infection set
After three more months, he
science at North-West University,
causing problems.
Jolinda Botha was diagnosed with After six months he returned to returned to Pretoria, where his doc-
Ewing’s sarcoma in 2013. She under- Pretoria, where he was fortunate tor “had to do the whole thing all
went chemotherapy and a bone enough to be covered by his moth- over again”, he admits ruefully.
Willa de Ruyter graft to treat the tumour in her right er’s medical aid. Five months of A decade later, he is still
forearm. chemotherapy later, he underwent cancer-free.
Two years of constant pain and “I was clean for a year, and then transplant surgery.
uncertainty about what was wrong the cancer returned last year,” she “The tumour was in the shoulder Yvonne Milan
has come to an end for Nelmari de said. “So in May last year I had a sec- joint, so they removed the entire In January 2010, the Durbanite
Beer (24), following the successful ond bone graft, then more chemo- left humerus,” he explained. “They Yvonne Milan was diagnosed with
implant of a bone allograft. therapy and radiation.” cut it off right above the elbow and osteoblastic osteosarcoma in her
The slim, blonde woman explains The graft entails removing the dis- implanted the new donor bone. It right tibia. She sought several doc-
how her misery started in 2014 with eased piece of bone from her arm was about 30 cm of bone.” tors’ opinions, but the conclusion
a severe pain in her side. She was ini- and replacing it with healthy bone Following two more months of was the same: Her leg would have
tially diagnosed with and treated for tissue from a donor. Without this chemotherapy, Du Preez was in to be amputated and she was due to
irritable bowel syndrome. When the treatment option, she could easily remission and he has remained so start chemotherapy in March 2010.
pain didn’t subside, she went back to have lost her arm. Often Ewing’s ever since. Then her oncologist asked if she
the doctor and was diagnosed with sarcoma will spread to the lungs. Although he didn’t have pain, his wanted to try “limb saving” or “limb
appendicitis. But the removal of her She struggled to keep up with shoulder remained unstable. At age sparing” surgery.
appendix didn’t solve the problem her studies while undergoing treat- 22, while studying at Wellington in “Well, my leg was going to be
and when a large red spot appeared ment, but, she says, it was also the the Western Cape, he visited a spe- chopped off, so I agreed,” Milan
on her thigh, she was referred to an work that kept her going. Making cialist who suggested fusing parts of said.
oncologist for a bioption and further it to master’s level — and work- the bone. Initially the surgery was During limb sparing surgery,
tests. ing as a part-time lecturer — is no an oncological orthopaedic sur-
“This was an extremely traumatic mean feat for a young woman who geon removes the cancerous tis-
time for me and my family. At my missed weeks of classes to undergo sue and replaces the diseased
age, the last thing one wants to think chemotherapy. bone with a prosthesis or bone
about is the possibility of cancer. I’m The experience of receiving bone graft. After her surgery, Milan was
the youngest of three children and tissue from someone else was an medically boarded, ending her 35
my mother took it particularly badly. interesting one, she says. years of employment at a financial
Fortunately the results of the biop- “It was very strange for me, but institution.
tion came back negative for cancer, so cool. I heard that I received bone “I was told that I would not be
but there was a serious infection, from a man, and that was really cool able to walk again and would be
which was eroding the bone and for me.” confined to a wheelchair. But now
there was a real danger of losing my After her two operations and a I do have the use of my leg and can
leg,” says De Beer. great deal of physiotherapy, Botha walk and have more time to concen-
“The specialist explained to us that says that her arm movement is only trate on my church work. My life is
the most effective solution was a slightly limited. 99% back to normal.”
bone allograft implant, which would Mounting stairs is no longer a “After the first surgery I struggled Now 59 years old, Milan is able
help the diseased bone heal in time. major challenge for Nelmari de a bit with small motor movements, to spend time with her retired hus-
Although the thought of another Beer after her successful bone and during the second they had to band, her two adult daughters and
operation really scared me, the pain allograft implant. Photo: Amanda remove one of my muscles, which her young grandsons — both of
was excruciating. I was constantly van Rensburg affects my thumb movement. But it “It was very strange for whom were born after her success-
tired and I had no zest for life left. I just means having to relearn some ful surgery.
would have done anything just to Although De Beer still has a bit of things.” me, but so cool. I heard Her plea is for members of the
feel better.” a limp, she said she feels like a new that I received bone from public to consider becoming donors.
The operation was a resounding person. “I still have to take things Ryno du Preez a man, and that was “If I did not have the option to have
success and after six weeks of inter- slowly, but I really look forward to He was just 19 when doctors told such an operation, I would have
mittent stays in hospital the doc- the day that my boyfriend and I can him he had osteosarcoma in his left really cool for me.” been wheelchair-bound,” she said.
tor gave her a clean bill of health. hit the dancefloor again.” shoulder. It was 2003 and Ryno du “My self-esteem has been restored.”