Get your Sunflower Day tope at these retailers

Started 16 years ago, the annual Sunflower Day campaign is aimed at raising funds for the recruitment of blood stem cell donors to give the hope of cure to patients - diagnosed with life-threatening blood diseases like leukaemia - who need a life-saving stem cell transplant.

Every year, millions of individuals around the world are diagnosed with cancer. In 2018, just under 1.5 million new cases of blood cancer were recorded worldwide and according to a special report by Discovery Health released in 2018, cancer causes more deaths in South Africa than HIV/Aids, TB and malaria combined.

Even more staggering is the fact detailed in the same report that leukaemia tops the list of top five cancers by cost at R281,455 per case on average. Whilst it is good to shine the spotlight on these statistics to raise awareness, The Sunflower Fund wants to use Bone Marrow Stem Cell Donation and Leukaemia Awareness Month to remind South Africans that they can do something to change these statistics.

Spreading hope

The Sunflower Fund initiated its annual Sunflower Day campaign 16 years ago to get individuals involved in the fight against blood diseases. The design of the tope is inspired by the coming together of various South African cultures, bringing hope of finding a life-saving match to patients in need of a stem cell transplant. The tope comes in six vibrant colours each symbolising hope and depicting ‘#HopeTags’.

“Hope tags are a series of hashtags that will be used throughout the campaign as labels that unite and empower us rather than the divisive labels that society has become accustomed to,” says Kim Webster, head of communications at The Sunflower Fund.

The six #HopeTags are:
• Blue – Confident
• Pink – Courageous
• Yellow – Optimistic
• Purple – Selfless
• Green – Strong
• Orange – Brave

To partner with The Sunflower Fund as a host for a Sunflower Day celebration event, to make a donation or to set up an awareness talk and donor drive at your organisation, contact Traci Sassenberg on 021 701 0661 or traci@sunflowerfund.org.

For more information about The Sunflower Fund or to become a donor visit www.sunflowerfund.org, contact 0800 12 10 82 or send a WhatsApp message to 074 715 0212.