Family casts net worldwide to find match for dying father

The family and friends of an Australian father are appealing to Jewish people of Ashkenazi descent around the world to donate blood stem cells in a bid to save him from a rare blood cancer.

Murray Foltyn, 41, married to ex-South African Claudia (nee Milunsky) has myelofibrosis, and urgently requires a blood stem-cell transplant to help save his life.

The father of two, a son, Jamie, aged three, and a nine-month-old baby girl, Georgia, lives in Sydney Australia.

Claudia’s family, some of whom live in South Africa, are appealing to the community for help in finding a match so that a much-needed transplant can proceed.

Myelofibrosis is an uncommon type of bone marrow cancer that disrupts the body’s normal production of blood cells. It causes scarring in the bone marrow, leading to anaemia that can cause weakness and fatigue.

A bone-marrow transplant also called a stem-cell transplant, is a procedure to replace the diseased bone marrow using healthy blood stem cells. For myelofibrosis, the procedure uses stem cells from a donor.

According to the family, previous searches on the worldwide bone-marrow database have been unsuccessful. The best chance of life is a match with a person of a Jewish background.

“Time is of the essence,” said Yael Sneider, a first cousin of Claudia, who lives in London.

“Murray is the most wonderful, kind, gracious man, a true mensch who is generous and thoughtful. My husband, Ben, and Murray are the closest of friends. We’re desperate to find a match,” she told the SA Jewish Report.

Sneider has appealed to Jews worldwide on social media platforms in a bid to find a potential donor.

“We will be doing a donor drive during the many Purim parties at shuls held in London next week where people can register and obtain swab kits to swab their mouths,” she said.

Moriah, a school in Australia of which Foltyn is a past pupil and which his son also attends, has also appealed to its school community to register.

Anyone who is aged between 18 and 35 and has parents or grandparents who are Jewish and who came from a Czech/Slovak, United Kingdom, or Russian background could potentially be a match.

The chances become higher if the potential donor has links to Illford, England, or a village, Halmesh, outside Trnava (today part of Slovakia), or Morava Ostrava (today close to the border of Poland).

If there’s any chance you fit into the above, the family is urging you to register to be tested as soon as possible. Giving stem cells is a non-invasive process – similar to giving blood. It’s like a normal blood test, and doesn’t take long.

“If you don’t fit the criteria, you can still help by sharing this information. You never know who could be a match,” Sneider said.

Hatzolah Medical Rescue is aware of Foltyn’s need, and representatives from DKNS-Africa (the German Bone Marrow Donor Centre) will be present at its next blood drive on 19 March. DKNS is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders. It’s a world leading stem-cell donor centre. To become a potential blood stem-cell donor, you need to check your eligibility and request a swab kit.

Hatzolah’s Life2Life banner contains the relevant information on www.Life2Life.org.za or https://www.dkms-africa.org. You can also visit the following website for further information http:www.bmdw.org/

According to the South African Bone Marrow Registry, if you are between the ages of 16 and 45, you are eligible to register as a bone marrow donor. Registration is done in a few minutes through its online platform, and then a cheek swab test will be arranged. Go to https://www.sabmr.co.za