Hafsa, an 11-year-old Moroccan in critical need of a transplant. / ph. DR ‹ › Moroccans in Ghent, a city in northwest Belgium, are being urged to register as stem cell donors to help Hafsa, an 11-year-old Moroccan girl in critical need of a transplant. A compatible donor must share her blood type and be of North African descent, making Moroccans her best chance. Hafsa is suffers from beta thalassemia, a potentially life-threatening blood disorder that requires regular blood transfusions. The only treatment that can permanently cure her condition is a bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant. The appeal was launched by Ghent police officer Abdelkamal Ouad Khlie, known as Abdel for his appearances on the television series Alloo bij de Wegpolitie (Alloo at the Roadside Police). «It's a matter of life and death», Abdel said. He was moved after hearing Hafsa's story during The Warmest Week, Belgium's major annual charity campaign held in the week leading up to Christmas. A father of a 12-year-old himself, Abdel said he immediately thought of Hafsa's parents and what they must be going through. Hafsa has been searching for a compatible donor for more than six years, without success. Her older sister, Mariam, 17, who was born with the same genetic blood disorder, found a compatible stem cell donor within the family: her uncle, Abderrahim, who underwent a transplant that ultimately saved her life. Unlike her sister, no family member has proven to be a match for little Hafsa. Although he and his wife wanted to register as donors, Abdel is 50 and therefore too old, as stem cell donors must be between 18 and 40. «I can't donate, but I can encourage others. It's just a little blood, and you might save a child's life», he said. Since the appeal was launched, more than 1,200 North Africans have registered as potential donors, but no perfect match has yet been found. «Who knows», Abdel added, «a miracle might still be possible for Hafsa».
