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“Being able to save a life is a feeling beyond words!”

It was all Magical when a 4-year-old Thalassemia survivor met her lifesaver for the first time! This World Cancer Day on Feb 4th 2020, we all witnessed a heart-warming moment where a 4-year-old Thalassemia survivor met her lifesaver for the first time.

22/02/2021

Shia, a four-year-old girl from West Bengal travelled in an airplane for the first time and came over to Bangalore to meet her lifesaver Debojyoti, a 26-year-old techie who donated his blood stem cells so that she could receive a second chance at life.

It was all Magical when a 4-year-old Thalassemia survivor met her lifesaver for the first time!

This World Cancer Day on Feb 4th 2020, we all witnessed a heart-warming moment where a 4-year-old Thalassemia survivor met her lifesaver for the first time. Shia, a four-year-old girl from West Bengal travelled in an airplane for the first time and came over to Bangalore to meet her lifesaver Debojyoti, a 26-year-old techie who donated his blood stem cells so that she could receive a second chance at life. It was a very emotional occasion and everyone in the hall was equally thrilled to see their meeting.

Expressing his emotions, Debojyoti said, “I registered myself as a potential stem cell donor in the year 2016 and after a year of registration I was found to be a match. I did not know the details of the patient to whom my blood stem cells will be given but now when I met her after all these years, I went numb. Being able to save a life is a feeling beyond words. It can only be experienced-can’t be described.”

The journey of finding a matching blood stem cell donor

Sharing about their experience Shia’s father Saifulla said “Due to lack of awareness about the blood stem cell transplant procedure we were turned down by the local doctors. We were told that our daughter will need blood transfusion throughout her life to survive, we were devastated but kept doing our research. We got a ray of hope after meeting when we came to know about the treatment available in the form of a blood stem cell transplant.”

Today, Shia is leading a normal life and is a hale and hearty girl who likes to draw and color and is probably not even completely aware of the condition she was in. All she knows is Debojyoti is a friend who gifted her something that she will cherish forever. She has started school and does not shy away from making more and more friends.

It is a safe procedure

While sharing about his donation experience said my family supported me completely for the noble cause. Although there are no health risks involved for the donor, they were initially a little concerned and suggested taking enough precautionary measures before and after the process and also get confirmation from a doctor that there are no risks. DKMS Foundation India team was with me in every step of my lifesaving journey and the donation went well.

How you can help?

Each of our patients and donors has an incredible story to share. If you’d like to register as a potential blood stem cell donor you can check your eligibility and sign up today. Anyone aged between 18-50 and in general good health can go on standby as a potential lifesaver.

Help us to register even more lifesavers

We’d love it if you could help us to get more people on the registry and thus give new hope for life to many blood cancer patients.

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