Two Surtis save two young lives with their stem cells

Surat: Defying the extreme fear conditions owing to the spread of coronavirus, two dedicated blood stem cell donors from Surat city didn’t hesitate even for a second while trying to save two lives.
In one of the donations that took place in the last 12 days through DATRI, India's largest blood stem donor registry, 29-year-old Jay Patel, a resident of Pal area in the city, gave a fresh hope to a young patient battling for life.
And so did Vipur Patel, a fitness enthusiast who works for a diamond company in the city. Patel’s priceless gift helped save a paediatric patient. It is worth mentioning here that Patel, who recently graduated to fatherhood after his wife delivered a baby girl, didn’t let his benevolence suffocate in the hands of family commitments.
The blood stem cell donation was collected at a Surat-based hospital under the supervision of Dr Dharmesh Vaghasiya (Haemato-oncologist & Bone Marrow Transplant physician) and Dr Hasmukh Ballar (Pediatric Hematologic-Oncologist and Hematologist).
“I am extremely happy. At the time of registering with DATRI, I never thought that I would get a chance to save a life within a few years of registering,” gushed Jay Patel, an interior designer, while sharing with TOI his experience.
Jalpa Sukhanandi, Head Donor Recruitment and Counselling at DATRI, said, “We ensured the safety of the two young donors and their family at every step of the procedure. A dedicated team at the NGO took all required approvals and travelled 24 hours non-stop to ensure that the collected Blood Stem Cells are delivered to the hospitals located outside the state at the earliest.”
Interestingly, of the seven donations that have taken place in Gujarat since January this year, six have been donors from the city alone. Surat is leading blood stem cell donations in the state.