Oyintando is a brave two-year-old carrying a burden no child ever should. He’s been in and out of hospital as he courageously endures a genetic disorder that requires the selfless help of another to light his path forward.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (22 May 2025) – One little boy named Oyintando is carrying a heavy and painful burden that he shouldn’t have to and he desperately needs a hero to offer him a glimmer of hope.
In 2023, after terrifying symptoms including vomiting blood, Oyintando’s grandmother rushed him to the hospital, where he was admitted and stayed for a month.
However, with no improvement, he was taken to a different hospital. More tests were done, and doctors pieced together the puzzle of his suffering. Still battling with vomiting blood, Oyintando was eventually diagnosed with CMV (Cytomegalovirus) and began treatment.
After spending six weeks in the hospital, the two-year-old boy was discharged and given a follow-up appointment, where a doctor referred him to another hospital for further investigation.
It was there that Oyintando finally received his full and accurate diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, a terrifying moment for his mother, who had already lost another child showing similar symptoms, as Oyintando DKMS Africa states. This a rare immunodeficiency disorder.
While Oyintando’s condition has vastly improved since then and he gets to play with kids his own age from time to time, he still attends regular hospital appointments, which have become a financial strain for his mother.
“I just want my child to get a donor so that we can live a normal life,” Bonakele tells DKMS.
The resilient toddler remains in need of a blood stem cell transplant, which will greatly help him get back to doing what kids do: play, learn and explore.
DKMS Africa is championing this little boy’s recovery, and others like him, by appealing for more and more people to consider registering as blood stem cell donors. The donation process costs are entirely covered by DKMS Africa.
You can register to be a potential donor via the website here. For more information, email Nockey Mkhize at Nockey.Mkhize@dkms-africa.org or call 0800 121 082.
Sources: DKMS Africa
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