In a story of selflessness that transcends the battlefield, two army personnel have become heroes not just with weapons but with a life-saving stem cell donation. Their story surpasses duty and borders, embarking on a remarkable journey to donate stem cells and give a new lease of life to two strangers battling blood cancer.
The two army men, registered as potential stem cell donors with DKMS-BMST - a non-profit organisation dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and other blood disorders - travelled all the way to Bengaluru to donate the stem cells. Every year, January 15 is commemorated as Army Day.
Captain Cyrus, who had already registered as a potential stem cell donor with DKMS-BMST, received a life-altering call in December 2023. He was informed that his stem cells were a perfect match for a young patient who needed transplantation. To donate stem cells, he travelled to Bengaluru from North-East India, where he was posted. Despite the logistical challenges and personal sacrifices involved, Captain Cyrus’s decision was immediate. Without hesitation, he volunteered, stepping forward to offer a chance at life to someone he had never met.
Similarly, soldier Fezal K., who registered as a potential blood stem cell donor with DKMS-BMST in 2019, came up as a match for a blood cancer patient in May 2021. Without a moment’s hesitation, he set out on a strenuous journey, travelling from a remote location in North-East India for six days continuously, which even included a 60-km walk, until he finally reached Bengaluru to donate his blood stem cells.
Patrick Paul, CEO of DKMS-BMST Foundation India, said over 70,000 people succumb to blood cancer annually, yet only 30% of patients in need of a stem cell transplant can find HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen-tissue type) matching donors within their families. More than 70% of patients are looking for unrelated donors, but due to a lack of awareness, only 0.04% of the total Indian population is registered as potential stem cell donors. Given the significance of ethnic matching, the probability of Indian patients finding an HLA-matched stem cell donor is significantly higher when seeking donors among fellow Indians, he pointed out.
“More than 41 million potential unrelated donors are listed worldwide with stem cell donor centres and registries, of which only 0.6 million are Indians. This situation can only be changed by recruiting more potential blood stem cell donors from India. Registration takes only five minutes. Anyone aged between 18 and 55 and in general good health, can register as a blood stem cell donor by ordering a home swab kit at www.dkms-bmst.org/register,” he added.
