She gave a 6-year-old the gift of a healthy life

First woman stem cell donor from Kerala meets thalassemia-affected child from Sri Lanka

Stem cell donor Kanmani Kannan with recipient Shreemali Balasoorya at a function in Kochi on Thursday.

The first woman stem cell donor from Kerala, Kanmani Kannan, met the six-year-old recipient Shreemali Balasoorya from Sri Lanka at a programme organised at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in the city on Thursday.

 For the little Ms. Balasoorya and her family and Dr. Kannan it was an emotional moment.

Loss for words

Dr. Kannan appeared lost for words before she spoke of her experience as a student of medicine at the Amrita Institute, when she was called up for stem cell donation. The little Ms. Balasoorya, who was initially shy and reserved, became friendly with the young doctor, whose gesture had returned her to a healthy life.

Ms. Balasoorya’s father and mother, who were present on stage on the occasion with their little daughter, expressed their deep gratitude towards the donor as well as the agencies and doctors who facilitated the medical treatment. The little girl is a keen dancer and wants to become a medical doctor herself.

Dr. Kannan had registered for stem cell donation in 2013 during a camp and she said, “I preserved the donor’s registration card in my wallet with the thought that I will wait and watch if God would really choose me.”

Her wishes were fulfilled in 2017 when she was called up for the donation for a patient suffering from thalassemia, whose identity was kept secret until the moment the two met here on Thursday. The young doctor called on everyone in the gathering to register themselves for stem cell donation.

Ms. Balasoorya was detected with thalassemia when she was two months old. She was initially treated in Sri Lanka and later in Bengaluru.

The programme was jointly organised by the Amrita Institute and Datri, a voluntary body which is claimed to be the “largest” adult unrelated blood stem cell donor registry in the country.