Cape Town - A Cape Town professional skater along with the rest of the skateboarding community will defy gravity for a good cause.
Jean-marc Johannes, the Cape Town skate scene and Boardhub will host an awareness drive along with the SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) to highlight its mission of educating the youth on becoming bone marrow stem cell donors.
They're aiming to attract youth between the ages of 16 and 22 to sign up.
The event, which will take place at Battery Park on December 18 from 10am until 4pm, will also see skateboarding competitions in the form of trick challenges on different obstacles.
Johannes said he has been supporting the cause from the very beginning and hopes to rally the skateboarding community to join him in support.
“This cause is close to my heart as I've faced challenges in my life such as being a asthmatic sufferer. Due to the severity of my condition, I was advised not to participate in sport.
“However, my passion for skateboarding kept me going and all my achievements. My grandmother, who died of cancer, was also a beacon of motivation and she always told me anything was possible.
“Skateboarding has impacted the world in so many ways and I know through the passion we have, we can make a difference,” he said.
Johannes, who is an ambassador for SABMR, has broken many world records in South African skateboarding and has his own professional skateboard wheels. They are sold at selected skate shops in the US, France, Brazil, Japan, Denmark, Argentina and South Africa.
“I am very grateful to be a skateboarder and to have been able to achieve things that were thought to be impossible. Personally, I can assure it's only the beginning.”
Deputy director of SABMR, Jane Ward, said 60% of cancer deaths are among black South Africans and only 10% are registered as stem cell donors.
“Each year, an estimated 4 000 new cases of blood disorders, such as leukaemia and lymphoma occur in South Africa.
“For most patients, the best chance of a cure is a bone marrow transplant, also termed a stem cell transplant.
“Only about 2.8% of Black leukaemia patients referred to the SABMR who require a stem cell transplant and haven’t secured a match within their family are lucky enough to find an unrelated donor match.
“Sadly, the remainder go without a transplant and eventually succumb to the disease. Some of them are still babies,” she said. | Weekend Argus