Apollo Cancer Institute with Datri Blood Stem Cell donors registry organized a meet to celebrate the occasion of World Bone Marrow Donation Day. The meet was to cherish the existing donors and create awareness within the community on stem cell donation.
Blood stem cells help cure blood disorders such as leukemia or blood cancer, primary immune efficiency disorders and also give a transfusion free life for children with thalassaemia. Individuals with these conditions will need a transplant because their bone marrow does not have the ability to make healthy stem cells. A bone marrow transplant can help make the blood cells the body needs and giving the chance of a miracle cure.
The meet shared stories of how children have helped lead patients to triumph over diseases they were battling. Speaking about the age limit for donating Dr Revathi Raj, Consultant Pediatric Hematologist, Apollo Hospitals, said, “Family donors can be of any age from newborn to 60 years. However studies have shown that donors below the age of 45 years have lesser complications and are more effective for the recipients. Unrelated donors need to be healthy individuals between the age of 18 to 50 years. ”
A bone marrow transplant helps in the formation of stem cells which later develops into red blood cells that can carry oxygen to the body, platelets that help in blood clot or white blood cells that can help in fighting infections.
Sharing her concern on how tough it is to find the match for many patients Dr Revathi Raj, said, “About 30% of patients have got perfect match donors within their families while 70% of them need donors from outside the family. More the number of donors registered, more is the chance of finding the perfect match and the ray of hope for cure”.
Children who have donated their bone marrow with the support of their parents have now come forward to explain how simple the process was and to request everyone to create awareness on bone marrow donation and encourage them to register as donors, Registries like DATRI have enabled us to help our patients and we in turn will join them in our appeal to register more donors to give the gift of life” she further added.
In a move to appreciate the donors, free cycles were gifted to 10 donors of DATRI (Blood Stem Cell Donor Registry) by Actor celebrities Ms Suhasini Maniratnam , Mr Prasanna and Ms Varalakshmi. The actors highlighted the importance of stem cell donation and raised awareness on registering as a stem cell donor.
About Apollo Hospitals group :
It was in 1983, that Dr.Prathap Reddy made a pioneering endeavour by launching India’s first corporate hospital – Apollo Hospitals in Chennai. Over the years Apollo Hospitals has established itself as home to the largest cardiac practice in India with over 160,000 cardiac surgeries. Apollo Hospitals is also the world’s largest private cancer care provider and runs the world’s leading solid organ transplant program. Now, as Asia’s largest and most trusted healthcare group, its presence includes 8,488 beds across 51 Hospitals, 1,586 Pharmacies, 92 Primary Care and Diagnostic Clinics, 100 Telemedicine units across 10 countries. Health Insurance services, Global Projects Consultancy, 15 colleges of Nursing and Hospital Management and a Research Foundation with a focus on global Clinical Trials, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research and the first Proton Therapy Center across Asia, Africa and Australia. In a rare honor, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollos contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr.Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2010. For more than 28 years, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.
About DATRI
DATRI is India’s largest adult unrelated blood stem cell donors’ registry. Founded in 2009 by Mr. Raghu Rajagopal, Dr. Nezih Cereb and Dr. Soo Young Yang, DATRI’s vision is to help every patient looking for a blood stem cell donor to find a healthy, willing and genetically matched donor. DATRI has more than 1,50,000 registered voluntary donors and has facilitated 197 blood stem cell donations including 19 donations for international patients. DATRI works with 11 collection centers and has serviced 39 Transplant Centers across the world.
This not-for-profit organization is registered with Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide and is a member of World Marrow Donors Association (WMDA). For more details please visit, www.datri.org.
