Mandeep met his lifesaver for the first time
A namesake, a twist of fate and a happy ending!
An extra-ordinary story unfolded as Mandeep, a blood cancer survivor met his lifesaver also named Mandeep for the first time!
Mandeep, a blood cancer survivor, 35-year-old farmer from Punjab, India, was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in 2009. After struggling for over 13 years, Mandeep was advised a stem cell transplant, unfortunately he could not find a matching donor within his family. Mandeep had to wait for over 3 years before a matching unrelated donor was identified and he underwent stem cell transplant in January 2020.
On 9th February 2023, the blood cancer survivor Mandeep travelled all the way from a remote town in Punjab to meet his lifesaver, a 39-year-old techie from Bangalore.
Lifesaver Mandeep, sat on a high chair in a restaurant. His hands fidgety, feet shuffling and eyes darting, thinking about how the recipient would be doing and how is the person I saved look like! After a few minutes, a lean and tall man tapped on Mandeep's shoulder. This was Mandeep the recipient.
The two were sharing more than just their names. Words of gratitude flowed, punctuated by intermittent hugs. Mandeep forgot all about the struggles he experienced before he found a donor. He hugged the donor's parents and could not stop thanking them for bringing up their son the way they did. "This man gave me a new lease of life. I am cured. No more medicines," he gushed. The overwhelmed lifesaver with moist eyes said, "my wife is a cancer patient and I know the pain of having a person with cancer in the family.”
Donor’s parents were also present and they said, "We were excited and curious about who the person is. We were so proud of our son, we wanted to be with him during this moment."
Mandeep (blood cancer survivor), said,
How you can help
There are many blood cancer and blood disorder patients who are waiting for a matching stem cell donor. 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 18-55 years and in general good health can go on standby as a potential lifesaver.
If you aren’t ready to register as a potential donor just yet, you can still help us by sharing this story on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Linked In, or WhatsApp with your friends and family.