DUBAI: Just over two years ago, Dubai web and database technician Arthur Lareza was bed-ridden, battling acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).
Today, 39-year-old Arthur is leukaemia-free and is on track to regaining a full life, thanks to a life-saving bone-marrow transplant.
But the solution did not come easy. His agony started in October 2010 when his condition was confirmed and he was given a few months to live. His wife Teresa made a desperate plea through XPRESS for help even as she worked as a nurse – by a quirk of fate – in the same hospital where her husband was battling for life.
Help poured in and a month later the couple had raised enough – about Dh300,000 – for the complicated procedure that lasted three months.
The bone marrow was taken from his sister Annalyn, 32, who proved to be a good match.
“I thank God for each day. I’m grateful for the good people who helped, without expecting anything in return,” said the father of two. “I got to where I am today only because there are people who give without counting the cost.”
Back in 2010 the family thought it was impossible to follow the recommendation of Arthur’s consultant haematologist, Dr Mahmoud Al Marashi, for his health – allogeneic stem cell transplantation, a procedure not available in the UAE.
In February 2011, Teresa’s desperate plea was published in XPRESS, prompting countless people to pitch in with money. Arthur was treated at an Indian hospital in Vellore.
“Today, it has been two years since the transplant, he is recovering well,” Teresa told XPRESS.
He is now taking post-transplant precautions to avoid infections but the dosage of his medication has been reduced.
“I am regaining my normal life. The whole family is happy,” said Arthur, who rejoined his family in Dubai on June 18 and is now looking for a job.
“We are grateful to the people who helped us. If I could I would like to thank all of them - one by one. You’re all in our prayers. Your reward is in heaven.”
