Today, I am reminded of that memorable night in February 2020, when my wife and I met the saviour of our 4 years old daughter suffering from thalassemia. We flew with our little angel Shia to Bangalore to meet her superhero Debojyoti, a 26-year-old techie who donated his blood stem cells so that my daughter could receive a second chance at life.
Amidst spotlights and a gathering full of people, it was heartwarming to celebrate this story of kindness. I couldn’t hold back from embracing the saviour of my daughter when I saw Debojyoti on stage. It was a moment of collective joy as the crowd cheered, overwhelmed with emotion. It was and continues to be an incredible story of hope, cure, and survival!
Flashback to the time when Shia was diagnosed with Thalassemia, she was just 9 months old. The doctors had told us that Shia would need blood transfusions throughout her life. It was devastating and painful to watch her undergo transfusions, but we were determined to find a permanent cure. It was not an easy journey, but we saw a ray of hope when we learnt of a treatment for thalassemia which was a blood stem cell transplant. We were lucky to find a match for our daughter and within a span of one year, Shia underwent a successful blood stem cell transplantation.
Debojyoti, who saved our daughter’s life, had registered himself as a stem cell donor in the year 2016 and was found as a match a year later. According to Debojyoti, he did not know the details of the patient to whom his blood stem cells would be given. But when he met my daughter in person, he seemed overwhelmingly numb. Debojyoti said that being able to save a life is a feeling beyond words! It can only be experienced-can’t be described.
Today, two years after the transplant, our Shia is leading a normal life thanks to her superhero, Debojyoti who gifted her something that she will cherish forever. Not many patients who suffer from blood cancer or other blood disorders get as lucky as our daughter. Most of them are unable to receive a transplant due to the unavailability of a matching blood stem cell donor within their families or from an unrelated donor. This is because there are only 0.03% of Indians registered as potential donors. YOU can change that!
Every 5 minutes someone in India is diagnosed with blood cancer and other blood disorders, with a blood stem cell transplant being their only hope of survival. So far, only 0.03 % of the total population are registered as donors in India. Unfortunately, only 30% of blood cancer patients can find a sibling match, the remaining 70% depends on finding an unrelated donor. This experience taught us that the power to be a superhero is within all of us! All you need to do is take the first step, just like Debojyoti took which saved our daughter’s life.
Register Now! Visit- https://rb.gy/yrrahp
