THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 3,800 Good Samaritans arrived at a medical camp here on Friday to check if they could donate stem cells for seven-year-old Sreenandan suffering from postherpetic neuralgia, a rare neuropathic disease that damages red blood cells. As Sreenandan’s family struggled to find a suitable donor based on genetic matching, DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry had organised a camp at Hassan Marakkar Hall.
“The scheduled time to start was 8:45 am, but people walked in by 8 am. We received a good response... everyone who came was willing to donate their sample [oral swabs],” said Sreenandan’s uncle Joy KS.
Earlier, a similar camp held in Kollam had seen about 1,700 volunteers. Based on the results from these centres, the family will decide on holding another camp in Pathanapuram.