New lifeline for Iraqi in fight against blood cancer

New Delhi:  An Iraqi cancer sufferer has been given a new lease of life after travelling to India to undergo a risky bone-marrow transplant for his disease.

The last six months have been a long journey for Abdul Ameer Esmail Yakoob.

A citizen of Iraq, he went from one country to another in vain seeking treatment for his multiple myeloma, or blood cancer, until he found hope at an Indian hospital.

Yakoob, 40, was 32 when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. An unusual cancer, the disease normally affects people above 50.

"Cancer was a big blow," Yakoob said. "I was in consultation with my doctor, but as I started believing it was over, the cancer relapsed in August last year."

Devastated by the news, Yakoob realised the treatment he needed was not available in Iraq.

"I went to Saudi Arabia. The hospitals there offered treatment, but I could not afford it. Then I went to Turkey, but the treatment cost about $150,000," he said.

Just as dejection took hold, Yakoob found out about the treatment in India. "A friend in Delhi told me the treatment was available here, at a much lesser cost. It was a ray of renewed hope. "

In January this year, Yakoob went to Delhi to meet Rahul Naithani, a consultant at the Bone Marrow Transplant and Hematology Department in Max Super Speciality Hospital.

"When Abdul came to me in January, he was de-motivated," Naithani said. "It was an unusual case and the cancer was aggressive. The only solution was a bone marrow transplant."

So, using a different regime, we developed adequate stem cells and replaced the damaged cells in the bone marrow."

"We didn't have to cryo-preserve his stem cells — a step that saved him at least $2,700," he added.

Admitting that it was a risky process, Naithani said the transplant was finally carried out in April and was a success. Yakoob will now be able to go home to Iraq in two weeks' time.

"I feel so much better," Yakoob said. "The treatment cost $15,000 — much less than elsewhere."

The transplant does not mean that Yakoob's cancer is cured permanently, but it is managed," Naithani said.

"Transplant has extended his life beyond the few months he had. Now Abdul can rest for at least four-six years," he added.