BENGALURU: An eight-year-old girl from Hassan has helped save her younger sister’s life by donating stem cells for a bone marrow transplant (BMT) at Manipal Hospital, Yeshwanthpur. The 18-month-old child, diagnosed with thalassemia major, no longer requires regular blood transfusions after the procedure.
Saniya (name changed) was just four months old when doctors confirmed she had thalassemia major, a severe inherited blood disorder. For the first year of her life, she survived on transfusions every few weeks.
The family decided to consider a bone marrow transplant, the only curative option for the disease. Tests showed that Saniya’s elder sister Meher (name changed), just eight years old, was a perfect donor match. Despite the complexity of the procedure, doctors performed the transplant when Saniya was 18 months old. Currently, Saniya is recovering well and no longer depends on transfusions.
Dr Vinay Munikoty Venkatesh, consultant, Paediatric Haematology Oncology and BMT at the hospital, said that bone marrow transplantation is currently the only permanent cure. However, he pointed out that awareness about preventive parental screening, timely diagnosis, and treatment options remains very low in India.
“Thalassemia, with proper screening, can be prevented. And for those affected, bone marrow transplantation is the only permanent cure available today,” Dr Vinay said, adding that with advancements, bone marrow transplants can now be performed even with half-matched donors.