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Story #19 of 50 days, 50 Stories Campaign
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With the onset of the second wave of Covid, like any other state, Kerala too went into complete lockdown from May 8th. Unfortunately, this was the most inopportune time for critically ill patients with blood disorders, especially when we received two very urgent donor requests.
Blood Stem Cell Donors – Roshin and Aswani:
Interestingly, both the donors registered in a donor drive conducted by DATRI at Bharath Matha College, Ernakulam, were classmates. Moreover, both of them were from the Social Work Department, which volunteered for that donor drive.
Roshin’s Donation Story:
I contacted Roshin at a time when he was mourning the demise of his father. Despite the situation, he listened to me carefully and confirmed his willingness to donate. However, due to the triple lockdown at Ernakulam, it was difficult for people to move around. Nevertheless, the team was very cooperative. A letter of recommendation for the donor to travel was initiated, and with the innumerable police verifications, we were able to bring him to the hospital.
Aswani’s Donation Story:
Aswani has a three-year-old child, and with reverse quarantine in place with her parents, she had no one to leave the child. Her husband is a Police Trainer with the Kerala Armed Police and was on duty most of the time. It was not easy to take the child along because of the situation outside. However, Aswani was optimistic about donating. Our Counsellor, Athulya, who coordinates the female donor workups and donation, ensured the donor’s comfort, accompanying her right from the beginning of the process to the end. She cleared her health check-up.
The Process
Due to the lockdown, it was tough to manage each activity and travel with various restrictions. Finally, we got the passes for traveling, and donation dates were confirmed as per the convenience of the donors. As the patient was outside Kerala, we had to get e-passes for transporting the Blood Stem Cells in person.
There were staff constraints due to the pandemic, with few of the staff members testing positive or going for quarantine at the hospital. Nevertheless, Roshin’s donation was relatively smooth with a bit of shivering. He was given calcium and was in a 2-hour observation before discharging.
Aswini traveled with her husband and child to Cochin. There it was found that Aswini had a bit of a problem with her peripheral veins. Therefore, a femoral line collection was advised. She stayed back in Cochin for the administration of the GCSF, 4-day injections, to bring excess stem cells into the bloodstream, and was admitted to the hospital on the evening of the 4th day of GCSF. Unfortunately, even though the procedure went well, the stem cell count collected was insufficient for the patient, and a second donation was required the next day, which unfortunately was a Sunday.
Selfless support from Doctors and Staff of AIMS, Kochi:
Dr.Neeraj, who heads the BMT Unit, was hesitant about asking his team to work on a holiday. However, the team readily agreed, and with their support, we could complete the Day-2 donation and get the desired count needed for the patient’s life-saving transplant.
You can also register with DATRI and save lives.
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:
Aby Sam John, Have completed MTech in Biotechnology. Previously worked as a Genetic research analyst in Histogenetics lab. Became a match for a blood cancer patient and donated blood stem cells in 2013 and became the first unrelated blood stem cell donor from Kerala. (Recipient is now living a cancer free life). Served as a volunteer for DATRI initially and then joined full time. Now with DATRI for the last 7+ years. Currently working as Regional Head of DATRI in Kerala and Maharashtra.