DUBAI A Dubai-based life insurer has donated the gift of life to a seven-year-old girl in an unlikely XPRESS impact story.
Gopal T. Vachhani, 44, a manager in an insurance firm, said he had just returned from India after donating his stem cells to an unknown girl suffering from Thalassemia Major. An inherited blood disorder, Thalassemia causes conditions such as iron overload, bone deformities and cardiovascular illness, or even death.
Vachhani said the story behind the donation goes back to February 2013 when XPRESS reported a donor drive initiated by Indian NGO DATRI to save Indian businessman Nimesh Joshi who was suffering from blood cancer in Dubai.
Perfect match
“I responded to the article and underwent a cheek swab test organised by DATRI in its walk-in drive at India Club. I was not found to be a match for Joshi who unfortunately passed away in the US. However, I remained in the NGO’s database and last month received a call from them asking if I would be willing to donate my stem cells to a little girl in India as I was a perfect match for her. I said why not if I could save a life,” said Vachhani.
Subsequently, Vachhani cleared some essential medical tests in Dubai and flew to Ahmedabad where he underwent a four-hour procedure to donate his stem cells on May 26.
Janaki Ananth, DATRI’s head of strategy and operations, confirmed the donation. “We have over 3,000 people from the UAE in our registry. Vachhani happened to be one of them and his was the 100th donation we helped with,” she said. According to Vachhani, donating stem cells is a very simple procedure that can go a long way in saving lives.
“The process was so hassle-free and I flew back to Dubai the same night. I wanted to speak about my experience so that more people become aware of the importance of stem cell donations. The odds of finding a match are 1:10,000.”
Ananth said DATRI alone has over 1,000 patients suffering from leukemia, Thalassemia and other blood disorders who are waiting for a stem cell match.
She said all that a potential donor need do is undergo a quick and simple buccal swab test, where a cotton swab is rubbed inside their cheek. It is later processed to determine the genetic typing. In case of a successful genetic match, stem cells are obtained from the donor and injected into the patient’s bloodstream.
For more details, go to www.datriworld.org
