{"id":200347,"date":"2020-08-26T21:11:25","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T04:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=200347"},"modified":"2020-08-26T21:11:25","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T04:11:25","slug":"register-as-a-stem-cell-donor-and-save-someones-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/register-as-a-stem-cell-donor-and-save-someones-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Register as a Stem Cell Donor and Save Someone\u2019s Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vivek Kumar seen here with his son, encourages his fellow Indians to register as potential stem cell donors. He registered and, later, donated his stem cells to a woman in India. Vivek holds a masters degree in business from Kellogg\u00a0School of Management, Northwestern University.<\/em><\/p>\n

By Sally Douglas Arce<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Indians, who are diagnosed with leukemia and other blood cancers, face challenges. Finding a match and, then, receiving a stem cell transplant is one of the only treatments to extend or save these patients\u2019 lives. Indians are severely under-represented as stem cell donors.<\/p>\n

Seventy percent of the time, a stranger of your same ethnic background will be your stem cell match. Proportionally, there are more whites than Asians\/Pacific Islanders on the Be The Match national registry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the solution?\u201d asks Carol Gillespie, the executive director of the Asian American Donor Program (AADP<\/a>), a nonprofit in Alameda, CA. \u201cIt\u2019s to encourage more Indians and ethnically diverse people to register as potential stem cell donors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining Be The Match means volunteering to be listed as a potential blood stem cell donor, ready to save the life of any patient anywhere in the world who is in need of a transplant.<\/p>\n

AADP is currently working with Veer<\/a>, a 3-year-old Indian boy who lives in Canada and Layla, a 2-year-old Indian girl who lives in the UK. Both need to find a stem cell donor to extend their lives.<\/p>\n

For Vivek Kumar, who is originally from Mumbai, within a few years of his registering as a donor, he was told he was a stem cell match for a woman in India.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was literally the only person in the world who matched her,\u201d Vivek says. \u201cWe were genetic cousins of sorts. I was committed give her my stem cells.\u201d<\/p>\n

To his fellow Indians and people of color, Vivek says, \u201cDon\u2019t hesitate to register. All it takes is a simple swab of the inside of your cheek. Why wouldn\u2019t you want someone with a blood cancer to live several more years? Then, they could engage in personal goals or hobbies, see their two-year-old become a teen, or see their kids graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n

During donation, stem cells are removed from your blood stream. You are completely awake and usually watching a movie or two. The donation process takes four to five hours.<\/p>\n

The coronavirus has had a dismal impact upon patients diagnosed with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, and other illnesses treatable by a stem cell transplant. Blood cancer patients are afraid that a life-saving donor will not be found in time. They are scared that if a matching donor is found, that person, because of COVID-19, will not want to go to a clinic to have their stem cells collected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the coronavirus pandemic our community education and awareness programs, which generate new registered donors, are suffering and blood cancer patients are worried,\u201d Gillespie says.<\/p>\n

Vivek poses the question: What if this was someone in your family and a potential donor was hesitating to register?<\/p>\n

\u201cDonating was a few days of inconvenience,\u201d he said. \u201cHow can you compare that with the impact of saving a life? We can each do our own part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Join the registry by texting AADP to 61474 \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Or, visit <\/strong>AADP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Visit AADP’s Instagram<\/a> page for upcoming Live Interviews.\u00a0AADP hosts special events<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vivek Kumar seen here with his son, encourages his fellow Indians to register as potential stem cell donors. He registered and, later, donated his stem cells to a woman in India. Vivek holds a masters degree in business from Kellogg\u00a0School of Management, Northwestern University. By Sally Douglas Arce Indians, who are diagnosed with leukemia and…<\/p>\n

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