1,000 transplants and new beginnings: Thalassemia patients get a second chance

On Friday, Sankalp, along with international nonprofit organisation DKMS and medical partner Cure2Children Foundation, completed 1,000 stem cell transplants for children suffering from thalassemia. | Image for representation | Photo Credit: jarun011 When Muhammad Shaheem, 17, from Karnataka was diagnosed with severe thalassemia at just five months old, regular blood transfusions became a part of his childhood. Years of transfusions, however, led to severe iron overload that affected his heart and liver, making a stem cell transplant a particularly high-risk procedure.A possible way out came from within his own family when Shaheem’s younger sister, Zara, 7, was identified as a full Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-matched donor. After extensive preparation and counselling at the Sankalp-Bhagwa