BENGALURU, JULY 28, 2020 (GPN): Nazmeen, 23, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), a type of blood cancer, in September 2019, which can only be treated with a blood stem cell transplant. Nazmeen, along with her family and DKMS BMST Foundation India, are leading a virtual blood stem cell donor registration drive, to help her and other patients like her whose only chance of survival is to find a genetically compatible blood stem cell donor.

“Nazmeen is diagnosed case of CML with Lymphoid Blast crisis. She is undergoing chemotherapy for the same.  She has responded well to the treatment and currently in remission but its not enough as her condition is weakening. Blood stem cell transplant is only curative treatment possible for her.  She couldn’t find a matching blood stem cell donor in her family and that is why the need of the hour is to find an unrelated matching donor”, says Dr. Suraj Chiraniya, Clinical Hemato Oncologist and Bone Marrow Transplant physician at HCG Cancer Centre, Borivali, Mumbai. 

Patrick Paul, CEO, DKMS-BMST said, “For patients like Nazmeen, a blood stem cell transplant from a matching donor can help save their life. A perfect HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) tissue match is required to conduct the transplant process. But here’s the catch – finding the right match is often a one-in-a-million chance! Patients and donors of Indian origin have unique HLA characteristics that are severely under-represented in the global database. Thousands of HLA characteristics exist (which exist in millions of combinations). In India, only 0.03% of the total population is registered as blood stem cell donors, which is significantly lower than many other countries. This makes finding matches difficult. That’s why it’s so important to have more Indians to become potential donors.

Nazmeen is a bright girl who loves to dance and live life to the fullest. She dreams to overcome all barriers and to pursue her career further. Nazmeen’s father who is an autorickshaw driver is working hard to fulfill the dreams of his daughter. Their life has always been challenging but despite of all the struggles, they never gave up, and they hope that this virtual drive would help Nazmeen to find her lifesaver.

“I appeal to all the eligible people to please come forward and register as a potential blood stem cell donor. Your one step can give blood cancer patients like me an increased chance to get a second chance at life”, says Nazmeen. 

What is the registration process?

The Registration process is very simple and will just take 5 minutes of your time.  To register, please visit www.dkms-bmst.org/nazmeen , after checking your eligibility and filling the online form you will receive the swab kit at home. The registration process consists of 2 steps: filling out a consent form and taking a tissue sample from the inside of the cheeks, with 3 special cotton swabs for this type of analysis.

DKMS laboratory will then analyze your tissue type and your details will be available in the global search for blood stem cell donors. If you do come up as a suitable donor, DKMS-BMST will get in touch with you straight away. Once you come up as a match, blood stem cells will be obtained from the bloodstream using a procedure called Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Collection, which is similar to a blood donation wherein only your stem cells are taken. This is a very safe, non-surgical outpatient procedure. ENDS