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Story #6 of 50 days, 50 Stories Campaign
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‘Arjun’, a 19-year-old boy, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)- a blood disorder. He was getting treated at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai. In January 2020, received a request from Dr. Margaret asking DATRI to initiate the Donor search and the donation process. As per the request, we allocated a fully matched donor but sadly that donor had relocated overseas and was unable to reach him. So, we checked with Dr. Margaret on the possibility to proceed with 9/10 donors for Arjun? She agreed and we proceeded with this new request
Though male donors agree faster than female donors, a brave and young 18-year old female donor agreed on the 1st call by the counselor, despite the pandemic COVID-19 situation.
COVID-19 cases were increasing in leaps and bounds in the region and every day a new challenge was faced by the team regarding donor safety and the process. Due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, even the hospitals were struggling with limited staff. The hospital staff was also being stretched to handle the increase in cases and our Apheresis center was also hit by a manpower shortage due to their staff being in quarantine! Every step of the process seemed to take extra time and effort to complete. Despite all these challenges, the donor remained steadfast in her decision to donate her blood stem cells.
The DATRI team was busy dealing with each new challenge and keeping the Transplant center updated on the current situation and the options or backup plans devised. We also had to ensure that donor safety was maintained with no exception.
Our field coordinators, the unsung warriors, had completed the Confirmatory Typing and Medical check-up as per protocol and we had received the doctor’s clearance for the collection to proceed.
At last, the big day came and our donor donated her blood stem cell on 25th March 2020. The product was safely transported to the Transplant Centre where the product was cryopreserved. Many hospitals are opting for cryopreservation due to the changing scenario due to the pandemic and they prefer to receive the donor’s blood stem cells before they start the conditioning of the patient.
Despite all our efforts and struggles, Arjun has passed away before the transplantation could be done! This saddens us deeply!
Every story has an end, in Bollywood every end is a Happy end, but in life sometimes things are beyond our control. We wish ‘DATRI is the beginning’ of a new life for every patient who comes to us.
Despite the challenging situation of the pandemic, family pressure, and new challenges due to the increasing cases, a young 18 years lady found the courage and the willingness to donate her Blood Stem Cell, why can’t you?
Yes, you can also donate your Blood Stem Cell to a patient who is waiting for his/her second chance in life, come forward, and save lives.
The probability of finding an unrelated matched donor is 1 in 10,000 to 1 in over a Million. You could be the match for someone who is gripping on to their life at the edge of despair. You could be the ray of hope for the patient and his/her family.
If you still have queries regards to Blood Stem Cell Registration and Donation please check this FAQ section
https://datri.org/blood-stem-cell-donor-faqs-and-myths/
About DATRI:
DATRI is a Not-for-Profit organization that was founded in 2009 with a mission to save lives of those suffering from life threatening Fatal blood disorders like Blood Cancer, Thalassemia, Leukemia, Aplastic Anemia, Sicle Cell Anaemia etc.
DATRI is registered with Government of India as a Section 8 organization and all monetary contributions towards DATRI are subject to 80G exemptions
ACT NOW. GIFT A LIFE 
Tags: Blood Stem Cell Donation | Blood Stem Cell Donor Experience | Act Now and Save a Life | DATRI Donor Experience
About the Author:
Debora Angelin is a B-tech graduate in Biotechnology who began her career in Datri as a fresher. Now, it has been a successful 5 years, and currently, she is holding the role as an “Associate – Transplant Center Management” handling the International CT stage process. She made herself adapt to the organization and gained knowledge so that she worked for three different roles and responsibilities when there was a need during the past years to be where she is now. She says “Datri has given her the best kick start for her career with a vast knowledge and growth”. She is confident that she will be making a huge contribution and also keep improving her knowledge throughout her career.