To raise awareness about the significance of blood stem cell donation and motivate young individuals to register as potential lifesavers, D...
To raise awareness about the significance of blood stem cell donation and motivate young individuals to register as potential lifesavers, DKMS BMST Foundation India collaborated with the Rotary District 3291 to spread awareness about the importance of stem cell transplantation for blood cancer and blood disorder patients.
Distinguished members from Rotary District 3291 like RC Calcutta Visionaries, RC Calcutta Maidan, RC Calcutta Mayfair, RC
Kolkata Urbana, RC Calcutta Yuvis, BNI Prudent and Young Indians (Yi) came
together to register as potential stem cell donors in order to inspire the
youth to become potential lifesavers by enrolling in the global registry of
stem cell donors.
In India, where over 1,00,000 people succumb to
blood cancer annually, yet only 30% of patients needing 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
toa lack of awareness, only 0.04% of the
Indian population is registered as potential stem cell donors. Given the
significance of ethnic matching, the probability of Indian patients finding a
suitable stem cell donor is significantly higher when seeking donors among
fellow Indians.
The chief guest at Sunday's event held at the ICCR was District Governor,
Rtn Hira Lal Yadav, Rotary District 3291, who said, “Through our work at The
Rotary, we emphasize that serving others is a way of life. By caring for and
serving others, we hope to impact society sustainably. We highly value
DKMS-BMST contributions in aiding blood cancer and blood disorder patients. We
firmly believe that if we ignite the spark within us, we can look beyond
ourselves and give someone a second chance at life. There is nothing more
extraordinary than the act of saving a life. As an institution, we take great
pride in being part of an initiative that raises public awareness about the
significance of registering as a blood stem cell donor and its profound impact
on a patient's life.”
Dr. Jeevan Kumar, Sr.
Consultant-Department of Clinical Hematology and BMT, Tata Medical Center,
Kolkata who was the guest of honour said, “Donating stem cells that are present in blood is
similar to donating platelets. Every year, about 65,000 new searches are
initiated worldwide for an unrelated matching donor, but in India, only 0.04%
of people are registered as potential stem cell donors. India has one of the
highest ratios of searches that do not result in transplantation. This gap can
be bridged only when more and more people from different ethnicities in India
are a part of the donor registry maintained by organizations such as
DKMS-BMST.”
Shia, a seven-year-old
thalassemia survivor, attended the event along with her family. Shia's battle
with thalassemia began when she was just nine months old. In the span of a
year, Shia's life took a positive turn when a selfless 29-year-old stem cell
donor, Debojyoti, a techie from Bengaluru, was found to be a match for Shia. He
donated his blood stem cells and gave Shia a second chance at life.
Rtn Deepak Agarwal,
President, Rotary Club of Calcutta Visionaries, said: “It was surprising to see
such a lack of awareness on such an important issue. We decided that it was the
need of the hour. I urge the young brigade specially, to understand the
importance of Blood Stem Cell Transplants in saving lives, and come forward and
register themselves as potential donors. After all, it is them who will carry
the torch a long way.”
"DKMS-BMST remains dedicated to conducting multiple awareness and registration campaigns in collaboration with esteemed clubs, with a special emphasis on engaging the younger generation. Their ongoing participation in the registry significantly enhances the chances of finding matching donors for patients like Shia, who are in desperate need,” added Patrick Paul, CEO of DKMS-BMST.
Leading Tollywood actress
Rituparna Sengupta was a special invitee who pledged her support for this
noble cause.
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