From one Kishor to another, he saved his life!
It was all Magical when Kishor, a Blood Cancer Survivor from Bangladesh met Kishor, his Indian lifesaver!
On March 22nd, 2022, a heartwarming moment was witnessed when a Blood Cancer survivor, met his blood stem cell donor from Kerala for the first time. To find a matching blood stem cell donor is extremely rare, but to find one of the same names is a very unique coincidence that we’ve come across. The meeting was organized by DKMS-BMST with the support of Tata Medical Center, Kolkata at their premises.
22-year-old Atanu Kishor, from Bangladesh, had a difficult life as a teenager after being diagnosed with blood cancer and had to undergo rounds of chemotherapy until he travelled to India and consulted Dr. Reghu KS, Senior Consultant, Department of Paediatric Haemato Oncology and Cellular Therapies at Tata Medical Center, Kolkata.
Expressing his journey of becoming a lifesaver, Kishor said “I registered myself as a potential stem cell donor in the year 2017 and after a year of registration I was found to be a match. I wasn’t aware of the details of the patient, but now when I met him after all these years, I went numb. Being able to save a life is a feeling far beyond words. It can only be experienced, it can’t be described. I am glad that organizations like DKMS-BMST are working hard to provide patients suffering from blood cancer or other blood disorders with a second chance at life and I am proud to be a part of this noble cause.”
Sharing about their experience, the patient’s mother said, “Due to lack of medical facilities in Bangladesh, we were asked to visit India for the treatment. We got a ray of hope after meeting Dr Reghu KS and he assured us that there is a treatment available in the form of a blood stem cell transplant.” That’s when the journey to find an unrelated blood stem cell match began for the family. With the help of doctors, they were lucky to find a match for their son within a year and he underwent a blood stem cell transplantation.
Atanu Kishor was beyond grateful to his lifesaver for giving him a second chance at life. It’s not every day that you get to meet your superheroes, but this patient got that rare chance. It certainly was a memorable day for everyone that attended the event, and we look forward to more wholesome donor-patient meets in the years to come at DKMS-BMST.
You can also become a lifesaver!
Every 5 minutes, someone in India receives the shattering news that they have been diagnosed with blood cancer, Thalassemia or Aplastic Anemia. Many patients are children and young people whose only chance of recovery is a stem cell donation. Only about 30% of the patients in need of a stem cell transplant as life-saving treatment, are able to find a sibling match. The rest 70% depend on finding a matching unrelated donor. With your help, we can defeat Blood cancer, Thalassemia and Aplastic Anemia!
A blood stem cell transplant from a matching donor could be their last chance of survival. Your support could help them find their matching stem cell donor and give that person a second chance at life. Becoming a stem cell donor is easy. To do so, Interested citizens aged 18-50 can register with a simple cheek swab at our Public donor registration Drives.
How you can help?
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 18-50 and in general good health can go on standby as a potential lifesaver.
