Bengaluru, Dr Sunil Bhat said the chances of a man from Russia matching heredity with a man from India for a bone marrow transplant are almost negligible.
Narayan Group of Hospitals.
And yet Chirag, a 17-year-old thalassemia patient, found his savior in Roman Simnizky, a 29-year-old Russian who relocated from Siberia to German Stuttgart in 2005.
Dr. said, “Blood stem cell donation in India is still in its infancy, with only over a lakh donors. For Indian thalassemia patients, the chances of getting MatAC range from 5 to 10 per cent. In the case of Chirag who That it happened is almost a miracle." Bhatt, director and clinical lead, pediatric hematology oncology and blood and marrow transplantation, Narayana Group of Hospitals, said during a press conference on Thursday (May 8, observed as World Thalassemia Day).
The event was organized by DKMS, an international organization dedicated to raising awareness about stem cell transplantation and registering potentia donors, in partnership with Bangalore Medical Services Trust (BMST), an NGO in India. In.
Chirag and Simnizki met for the first time during this event – the transplant took place in 2016. Chirag said, "Meeting Roman was a surreal experience."
Expressing his gratitude to Szymzki, he said, “Roman didn't just donate stem cells, he gave me a future.,
Szymzki shared that her decision to enroll as a donor happened almost by accident. "I usually donate blood and during one such instance I was approached for stem cell donation," said Szymzki. "I thought, why not? Later, I was told that I could find matching blood in India." was found, which is an extremely rare medical event."
Nitin Agarwal, head of donor request management at DKMS-BMST Foundation India, noted that unrelated donor details are usually kept anonymous. He further added, “We wanted to inspire donors by telling the incredible story of Chirag and Roman.,
According to Aggarwal, every year 10,000 to 30,000 new thalassemia patients appear in India. “The donor base offers good options for Caucasians, but for Indians, it is still a struggle because finding a donor depends on ethnicity. Also, 75 percent of registered donors ultimately decide not to donate, mostly stem Because of misconceptions about cell donation. So, we still have a long way to go," Agarwal said.
Dr SH Subba Rao, pediatrician at Manipal Hospital, said India has already come a long way, recalling the time when thalassemia patients had to struggle to get blood for transfusion.“There was a time when the only solution available to him was blood transfusion, which he required every three weeks,” said D. Rao.
According to Dr. Rao, frequent blood transfusions lead to massive increase in iron levels and subsequent damage to organs, which reduces the lifespan of thalassemia patients.
"Later, a lot of drugs were made available to patients to reduce the iron load. But still, for a very long time, we could only provide a conducive environment for the patients. Bone marrow transplantation changed the game for them ," He added.Chirag said that after the transplant he felt like a completely new person. "Feeling normal, no fatigue now. I play and work like every other person," said Chirag, who wants to become an engineer like his father.
His father Vikas said, although he was informed about the match in 2013, he hesitated for three years as there were not many successful transplants at that time.
Vikas said, “In three years, things have really changed.I was able to talk to people who had gone through the procedure and make an informed decision to move forward with the transplant."
Dr Bhatt agreed that technology had made the process much easier.
“Since there is no real risk in the procedure, there are also no additional legal requirements. The procedure costs around Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh in India, which is almost a fraction of the cost outside India. Therefore, the real need right now is to create a base of donors to meet the demand of thalassemia patients, it is a very simple decision for the donors, but it completely changes the life of the beneficiary,” Dr Bhatt. he said.As far as world champion kickboxer Szymzinski is concerned, it was a decision he will never regret. "There is no greater joy than knowing that you have helped someone who needs it. Seeing Chirag healthy and full of life is the greatest reward," Sai Szymzicki.
Narayan Group of Hospitals.
And yet Chirag, a 17-year-old thalassemia patient, found his savior in Roman Simnizky, a 29-year-old Russian who relocated from Siberia to German Stuttgart in 2005.
Dr. said, “Blood stem cell donation in India is still in its infancy, with only over a lakh donors. For Indian thalassemia patients, the chances of getting MatAC range from 5 to 10 per cent. In the case of Chirag who That it happened is almost a miracle." Bhatt, director and clinical lead, pediatric hematology oncology and blood and marrow transplantation, Narayana Group of Hospitals, said during a press conference on Thursday (May 8, observed as World Thalassemia Day).
The event was organized by DKMS, an international organization dedicated to raising awareness about stem cell transplantation and registering potentia donors, in partnership with Bangalore Medical Services Trust (BMST), an NGO in India. In.
Chirag and Simnizki met for the first time during this event – the transplant took place in 2016. Chirag said, "Meeting Roman was a surreal experience."
Expressing his gratitude to Szymzki, he said, “Roman didn't just donate stem cells, he gave me a future.,
Szymzki shared that her decision to enroll as a donor happened almost by accident. "I usually donate blood and during one such instance I was approached for stem cell donation," said Szymzki. "I thought, why not? Later, I was told that I could find matching blood in India." was found, which is an extremely rare medical event."
Nitin Agarwal, head of donor request management at DKMS-BMST Foundation India, noted that unrelated donor details are usually kept anonymous. He further added, “We wanted to inspire donors by telling the incredible story of Chirag and Roman.,
According to Aggarwal, every year 10,000 to 30,000 new thalassemia patients appear in India. “The donor base offers good options for Caucasians, but for Indians, it is still a struggle because finding a donor depends on ethnicity. Also, 75 percent of registered donors ultimately decide not to donate, mostly stem Because of misconceptions about cell donation. So, we still have a long way to go," Agarwal said.
Dr SH Subba Rao, pediatrician at Manipal Hospital, said India has already come a long way, recalling the time when thalassemia patients had to struggle to get blood for transfusion.“There was a time when the only solution available to him was blood transfusion, which he required every three weeks,” said D. Rao.
According to Dr. Rao, frequent blood transfusions lead to massive increase in iron levels and subsequent damage to organs, which reduces the lifespan of thalassemia patients.
"Later, a lot of drugs were made available to patients to reduce the iron load. But still, for a very long time, we could only provide a conducive environment for the patients. Bone marrow transplantation changed the game for them ," He added.Chirag said that after the transplant he felt like a completely new person. "Feeling normal, no fatigue now. I play and work like every other person," said Chirag, who wants to become an engineer like his father.
His father Vikas said, although he was informed about the match in 2013, he hesitated for three years as there were not many successful transplants at that time.
Vikas said, “In three years, things have really changed.I was able to talk to people who had gone through the procedure and make an informed decision to move forward with the transplant."
Dr Bhatt agreed that technology had made the process much easier.
“Since there is no real risk in the procedure, there are also no additional legal requirements. The procedure costs around Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh in India, which is almost a fraction of the cost outside India. Therefore, the real need right now is to create a base of donors to meet the demand of thalassemia patients, it is a very simple decision for the donors, but it completely changes the life of the beneficiary,” Dr Bhatt. he said.As far as world champion kickboxer Szymzinski is concerned, it was a decision he will never regret. "There is no greater joy than knowing that you have helped someone who needs it. Seeing Chirag healthy and full of life is the greatest reward," Sai Szymzicki.
