In an inspiring story, a Gujarati man who lost his eldest son to terminal blood cancer got closure 17 years later when his stem cell donation saved a teenage girl's life in Bengaluru.
A 45-year-old Gujarati man, Kishor Patel, said life coming back 'full circle' - by giving new life to a girl 17 years after losing his son to leukaemia - was divine intervention.
A report by The Times of India said Mohit, Patel's eldest son, died of leukaemia when he was only 21 months old. The child was diagnosed with cancer when it was in an advanced third stage. At this point, he did not respond to treatments, even as the family did not leave any stone unturned, consulting doctors even in the United States.
The child passed away in 2004.
Patel, who manages a timber business between Kutch and Bengaluru, said the helplessness of not being able to save his son's life cut into him all these years, until he got the chance to give the boon of life to another ailing child in Bengaluru 17 years later.
“I donated stem cells for a teenage girl battling leukaemia in 2021 to save her life. I see this as a divine intervention. It also motivated me to be a crusader for the cause of stem cell donation to save other children's lives,” he told the publication.
{{/usCountry}}“I donated stem cells for a teenage girl battling leukaemia in 2021 to save her life. I see this as a divine intervention. It also motivated me to be a crusader for the cause of stem cell donation to save other children's lives,” he told the publication.
{{/usCountry}}Patel, who is also the secretary of the Kadva Patidar Association in South India, had signed up for stem cell donation in the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020, and has become an ambassador for the cause, encouraging many others to do the same.
Patel had two more sons after Mohit but he felt the need to do something for someone in need and said God had made him a medium to make a difference in the child’s life.
He had first heard of stem cell donations at an event organised by the DKMS-BMST Foundation in 2017, which creates awareness and educates on fighting blood cancer and blood disorders. He enrolled with a blood sample soon after and got a call from the foundation in 2020 for the donation, for which he agreed promptly.
“A few of the apprehensions were alleviated by the experts as the process was very smooth. As I got to know that the donation has saved someone’s life, I immediately thanked God for giving me closure. I’m sure that it’s Almighty’s wish that I become a medium for bringing a difference in a little child’s life,” he was quoted as saying in the report.