Bengaluru-based businessman turns life-saver by donating blood stem cells

PTI, Mar 21, 2021, 4:37 PM IST

Credit: Pixaby Photo

Bengaluru: Kishore Ramji, a businessman and resident of Bengaluru, has donated his blood stem cells to save the life of a blood cancer patient, amidst the pandemic.

Ramji, who belongs to the Patel community of Gujarat, registered as a potential blood stem cell donor three years ago and recently came up as a match for a blood cancer patient, according to DKMS BMST Foundation India.

Most often, a blood stem cell transplant is the mainstay of care for patients suffering from blood cancer and other blood disorders such as thalassemia and aplastic anemia, the non-profit organisation said.

Ramji said when he came to know about the possibility for blood cancer treatment he was surprised and emotional at the same time.

“Due to the lack of awareness, we lost our firstborn to blood cancer when he was just two-year-old in 2004. He was one of the biggest inspirations for me to register as a potential blood stem cell donor and save a blood cancer patient’s life,” he was quoted as saying in a Foundation statement.

He registered three years ago at a donor registration drive organised by DKMS-BMST in the Patel community here.

Ramji donated his blood stem cells through the PBSC (peripheral blood stem cell) method, a process similar to blood platelet donation.

During PBSC, only stem cells are extracted from the donor’s blood, blood is taken from one of the arms, passed through a machine that separates the blood stem cells and then the rest of the blood is returned through the other arm, it was noted.

As per protocol, the identity of both-the donor and recipient are kept anonymous for a period of two years and thereafter upon interest they can be introduced to each other, the statement said.

Only about 30 per cent of the patients in need of a stem cell transplant as a life-saving treatment can find a sibling match, according to the Foundation.

The rest 70 per cent depend on finding a matching unrelated donor which makes it vital for people to register themselves as potential donors and help save a life, it said.

“To continue our fight against blood cancer, we urge people across India to register online as potential blood stem cell donors. Any healthy individual between the age group of 18-50 can take the first step to register as a blood stem cell donor by ordering the home swab kit atwww.dkms- bmst.org/register,” the statement added.