Online campaign seeks stem cell donor for 3-yr-old cancer patient

Nithi is being treated at Apollo Hospitals by a team of doctors led by Dr Revathi Raj, Pediatric hematologist, Oncology and BMT. Dr Revathi said that the child underwent a bone marrow transplant in September 2020 from his father as the half match donor. However, the surgery was not successful and he is now in urgent need of an unrelated blood stem cell donor.” Despite the huge burden for the need of stem cell transplant, the voluntary registrations for donations are relatively low. As per the statistics, only about 30 per cent of patients who are in need of a stem cell transplant are able to find a related match and about 70 percent of patients need an unrelated donor.

DKMS BMST Foundation India, a non-profit organisation dedicated to coordinate the search for a matching donor for Nithi. To reach out to people across India, DKMS-BMST has launched a virtual drive where one can register online to be a potential lifesaver. People who are interested and fit the eligibility criteria can register at www.dkms-bmst.org/Nithi