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Story #12 of 50 days, 50 Stories Campaign
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46 Years old Female from Kerala was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes(MDS), a rare Bone Marrow Failure Disorder where the body no longer makes healthy enough, normal blood cells in the bone marrow.
Luckily she found few full-matched donors to donate in DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry, out of which a 30-year-old male from Pune was readily available to present.
The workup started and proceeded smoothly as usual, like every other workup request we receive. Still, there was an unfortunate situation when the donor backed out on day two due to personal health issues. The patient had no time and no other chance rather than waiting for another donor to donate.
Our team started to proceed with another search and found match donor. 19-year-old Afida, from Kozhikode, Kerala, registered herself as a Blood Stem Cell Donor in 2019 during a drive in her college. She volunteered to donate after hearing patient situation with her family’s consent. The transplant physician was excited to hear the news and wanted to proceed immediately.
We altered the procedure by receiving the workup request, a Confirmatory typing sample, and medical screening tests on the donor within a week after her approval for the donation process.
During the physical examination of the donor, the apheresis center physician found that the cubital veins of the donor were very thin and deep, so she was counseled for peripheral blood stem cell collection through the femoral vein. The donor and her family members agreed to the same.
Once the apheresis center physician validated the donor medical reports, the collection date was confirmed, and the mobilization was planned accordingly.
Despite the COVID pandemic, she traveled from her hometown and stayed in Kochi for five days of Injection and donation with her mother. She was admitted to the Apheresis center a day before for femoral collection, and the collection went smoothly.
The Cell yield was more than enough, and the product was handed over to the Transplant Physician as promised in a short period.
You can also become a lifesaver, but you should be readily available anytime to donate your Blood Stem Cell because backout is the biggest problem for both patients and DATRI. You have to remember that sometimes you will be the only hope for the patient.
About DATRI:
DATRI is a Not-for-Profit organization 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, Sickle Cell Anaemia etc.
DATRI is registered with the Government of India as a Section 8 organization, and all monetary contributions towards DATRI are subject to 80G exemptions
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About the Author:
Shakthi works as an Associate Transplant Centre Management in DATRI to save lives for almost 3 and half years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from Anna University and currently resides in Chennai. Constantly looking for challenges, pushing past her comfort zone is what makes her keep going forward to achieve more.