Cancer Support Group

Times of India
18 June 2010
Ahmedabad, India

Stem Cells Were Transferred From Sibling to Cure Thalassemia, Blood Cancer
The Bhavsar couple had planned their fourth daughter in the hope that she would be their son Urvish’s saviour. And their wish turned out to be true! Parents of Urvish Bhavsar, one of the rare cases in the country who will be cured of two major diseases –thalassemia major and blood cancer, after the successful stem cell transplant dome at Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI) said that they had the fourth child in the desperate hope that she would be a match for Urvish’s treatment. “Ever since Urvish was diagnosed with thalassemia major, we were told that stem cell transplant was a permanent treatment to be explored for his cure. His elder sister was not a match and so despite there being a possibility that our other child may also have thalassemia, we planned another child to save our son,”said Urvish’s father Umang Bhavsar, who runs an optical accessories store in Naroda.

When Urvish’s mother Sunanda conceived, the couple even went to Vellore to get the foetus tested if it was thalassemia positive. The child which was born did not carry the genetic blood disorder. Unfortunately, he too was not a match. “We were crestfallen. But we had made up our minds that we will have to do something to save the life of our son. People around us suggested that we should go for another child and we did in the hope that it would medically be a match for Urvish,”says Umang.

The couple again went to Vellore and were told that the foetus was not thalassemia major. They, however, did not test the foetus whether it was a match for Urvish as they feared that they would have to abort the child.

“Our prayers were, however, answered when our daughter Richa turned out to be a match for Urvish. She was God sent as by then Urvish was also detected with blood cancer and the stem cell transplant offered hope to cure both,”said Umang.