KOLKATA, February 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
DATRI, India's largest adult unrelated Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry, today organized a very special event to celebrate blood stem cell donor Sajat Jain. Sajat, a 27-year-old, not just saved the life of Nilesh Kumar Sinha, a 42-year-old businessman but gave back a husband, a father and a family member.
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In March 2015, Nilesh was suffering from Jaundice, which was later diagnosed as Immune Thromocytopenic Purpura (ITP). At a later stage, he was further diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia for which his treatment first started at Bombay Hospital and was then shifted to Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kolkata. In November, he was told that a blood stem cell transplant was required to treat him.
In 2014, Sajat a young businessman from Gurgaon who had been involved in the healthcare sector read about DATRI and how one can gift a life to someone in need. He requested for an online kit and got registered in May 2014.
"I was very happy to hear that I was a potential match for someone. The fact that my little effort could save a life felt like I was the chosen one, I had no questions but to happily go ahead," said a beaming Sajat.
As per the registry protocol, the identity of donors and recipients are kept anonymous for one year. Both the recipient and donor expressed their desire to meet each other. So, when the doctors declared Nilesh disease-free, DATRI facilitated the meeting between the two and their families.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mammen Chandy, Director, Tata Memorial Centre said, "For many suffering from fatal blood disorders like blood cancer and Thalassemia, a blood stem cell transplant is the only hope of survival."
He further added, "Till date, 13 patients from Tata Medical Center have found their life-saving donors from DATRI. However, we still have a large number of patients who are still waiting for a matched blood stem cell donor. More donors have to come forward and register themselves."
Kolkata or cultural capital of India, as it is better known, is currently home to over 5 million people. The population of Kolkata metropolitan area is estimated to be 14.59 million in 2016, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India. However, it is appalling that only 5000 donors are registered with DATRI as potential blood stem cell donors till date. These numbers are very less compared to other cities in the country. This definitely calls for more awareness in the city on the importance of saving lives through blood stem cell donation for blood cancer patients.
"Such an occasion is an additional motivation to work harder and make the registry grow. The joy that a recipient's family receives and the satisfaction a donor expresses, is in itself a testimony of hope. As a registry, we are immensely motivated to spread the awareness on the significance of becoming a blood stem cell donor so that, many more lives can be saved," said Raghu Rajagopal, Co-Founder & CEO of DATRI.
The event was to celebrate and acknowledge the 'selfless giver' and the 'courageous spirit' of the recipient who waded through all adversities. For a patient suffering from fatal blood disorders like blood cancer, a blood stem cell transplant is the only hope of life. The probability of finding a matched blood stem cell donor is 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 2 million. Every match is close to a miracle. If a match is found, that donor is probably the only person who can save the patient.
About DATRI
DATRI is India's largest adult unrelated blood stem cell donors registry. Founded in 2009 by Raghu Rajagopal, Dr. Nezih Cereb and Dr. Soo Young Yang, DATRI's vision is to help every patient seeking a blood stem cell donor find a healthy, willing, genetically matched donor. DATRI has more than 1, 80,000 registered voluntary donors, has facilitated 230 donations including 25 donations for international patients. DATRI works with 14 collection centers and has serviced 46 Transplant Centers across the world.
This not-for-profit organization is registered with Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide and is a member of World Marrow Donors Association (WMDA). For more details please visit, www.datri.org .
Media Contact:
Aviini Ashikho
Public Relations Coordinator
DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry
[email protected]
+91-7598145413
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