Ex-cricketer VVS Laxman is now a blood stem cell donor
Former cricketer VVS Laxman Sunday registered himself as a donor for blood stem cells and said everyone should become a donor to save thousands of people suffering from blood cancer. Laxman registered as a donor with a not-for-profit organization that works for creating a registry of volunteer donors to save the lives of those suffering from blood disorders such as blood cancer, thalassemia, etc.
Only few people get chance to save life: VVS Laxman
"I think only a few people get a chance to save a life while they are still alive. The feeling of meeting the person who is alive because of you would be the biggest high in one's life," the former batsman, Laxman, said.
India has only 372,000 donors; thousands waiting to find donor
Laxman said it was sad that in a country of 1.35 billion, only 372,000 donors were registered with DATRI, the not-for-profit organization. Thousands are waiting to find a donor, he said, requesting everyone to come forward and register themselves for the cause. He launched a short video for DATRI urging people to come forward and raise the awareness level about donating blood stem cells.
Thalassemia patients can lead healthy life after finding match: Laxman
"Blood cancer and many such fatal blood disorders are curable through a simple blood stem cell donation. All one has to do is give a few hours to save a life," Laxman said. He met a few children with thalassemia and said that it was heartbreaking to hear they needed a blood transfusion every 20 days and their life expectancy was very short.
Extremely grateful to VVS Laxman: DATRI Cofounder-CEO
"We are extremely grateful to VVS Laxman to not just register as a volunteer donor but also help us spread awareness on blood stem cell donation," DATRI Cofounder-CEO Raghu Rajagopal said. "We have over 2,000 patients registered...who are waiting to find a match donor who could save their lives. We are hoping that many potential donors will get inspired by Laxman," Rajagopal said.
Every match is close to a miracle: Rajagopal
Probability of finding a matched blood stem cell donor is 1 in 10,000 to over a million. Every match is close to a miracle, Rajagopal said. "If a match is found, that donor is probably the only person who can save the patient," he added.
