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Returned Hope of Life after Bone Marrow Transplant for Sickle Cell Treatment in India

Mr. Sigmund, Czech Republic

Bone Marrow Transplant for Sickle Cell – Dr. Rahul Bhargava

She answered my queries with the following answers:

Her answers gave me a lot of relief. I also told my parents and other family members about my decision to go to India for my son’s bone marrow treatment. As I already mentioned, our extended family comprised of many of my parent’s brothers and sisters and many of their children. Everyone supported us financially to make it possible for me to take my son to India.

After a few days, the coordinator called me gave me a list of 4 doctors to choose from. I didn’t know how to choose, but with the help of the doctor that determined my son’s cancer, I eventually decided to choose Dr. Rahul Bhargava bone marrow transplant surgeon in India. He seemed to have the most experience and the largest percentage of successful treatments. I called my coordinator and told her about my decision. She told me that she would get back to me after consulting with the doctor for my son’s treatment. She said ‘there are 2 types of bone marrow transplants and the doctor will confirm which type is required for your son.’ Now, this was something I didn’t know and made me a little confused.

The next time she called me, she told me that my son seems to be a candidate for allogeneic transplantation. Now I didn’t know what that meant. So I asked her to explain it. She said that it involved getting a stem cell transplant from another person. It will be required to find another person whose bone marrow is matching to your son’s bone marrow. The coordinator sent me a slip and asked me to take it to the cancer specialist my son was seeing currently. I went to see the doctor. She saw the slip and ran a few tests on my son and confirmed that the transplant was the way to treat him.Next, my coordinator wanted me to send my son’s blood sample to India. I did so with the help of my doctor. It took a few weeks before the sample reached India and the reports were generated. My coordinator called me and said that they had found a matching donor. Now she wanted us to prepare for our visit to India. We were given a date in January 2015 for an appointment with Dr. Bhargava. All our medical visas and local travels were arranged by the India cancer surgery site- the group of best cancer surgeons and hospitals in India. I traveled to India with my son and my cousin's sister.

We were picked up at the airport by a well-dressed person and taken to our hotel room. My son was exhausted after the flight and we needed rest. The next day we were driven to Dr. Bhargava by the same person. I found the doctor to be very polite. He listened to us patiently. I asked him some of the following questions:

Once I had asked all the questions, he explained the complete treatment in detail. He said, allogeneic transplantation is the only way to treat your son’s leukemia. This transplant involves giving another person’s matching stem cells to your son. We have already found a donor who has matching human leukocyte antigens (HLA) as your son. This matching prevents any risk of graft-versus-host-disease.

Before the procedure, your son will get chemotherapy. Then the stem cells from the other person will be given to your son through IV. There are also 2 different types of Allo transplants. We have chosen the reduced intensity type treatment for your son. It requires giving only mild doses of chemotherapy to your son. Once the doctor explained the transplant process, I was much relieved.

The doctor asked to get some tests on my son and said that he will further explain the procedure and timeline to me after that. So my son’s blood sample was taken after which we went back to the hotel. The reports took more than a day and we came back on the second day to see the doctor. Dr. Bhargava told me that he had received the reports and I did not have to worry about the risks.He further spent an hour with us to explain the procedure and timeline. He said our medical team will give certain injections to the donor to increase their white blood cells in the blood. In this case, there is no need to get the cells from their bone marrow, which would have otherwise taken many hours of surgical procedure. Next, we will give chemotherapy to your son. Some patients may also require radiation therapy, but the condition is not that severe in your son’s case. We also found in the report that he is a very strong young man. So the risks are less, and you should not worry. This chemotherapy duration will be for 5 days.

After the chemotherapy sessions are complete, we will pass the stem cells into your son’s bloodstream. This process takes no more than an hour. But your son will stay in our facility after this transplant. The next phase is the recovery process. This time depends on the intensity of the transplant. We expect that in your son’s case, he can stay in the facility for a week and then visit us daily for the next 3 weeks. During the recovery phase, your son will be given a wide range of medicines including antibiotics. This also includes medicines to prevent any risk of graft-versus-host disease. Depending on the body’s response, blood transfusions may also be required. Our entire medical care team will be here to handle any side effects, so you don’t have to worry about any risks. He told me that the entire treatment should take around a month. So once everything was clear, he asked me if I needed to know anything more. I asked him when will the treatment be complete and it will be safe for me to take my son back got my country. He said that we will monitor your son’s condition and run regular tests. Successful treatment will show that new stem cells will multiply and more blood cells are made. This will improve the blood count. All this will show us that the transplant was a success and we will then tell you when you can leave.

So he told us to come back tomorrow to start my son’s chemotherapy. This was a difficult time for me to see my son go through a difficult time period. He was already weak and these chemo sessions made him even weaker. He was given intravenous chemotherapy drugs. We stayed in the medical facility during the next 5 days. The medical team also drew blood samples every day for testing. My son had a permanent access catheter on hand. He also went through many other types of tests. The doctor told me that these tests were done to keep tracking the leukemia cells and make the required changes to my son’s treatment.So he told us to come back tomorrow to start my son’s chemotherapy. This was a difficult time for me to see my son go through a difficult time period. He was already weak and these chemo sessions made him even weaker. He was given intravenous chemotherapy drugs. We stayed in the medical facility during the next 5 days. The medical team also drew blood samples every day for testing. My son had a permanent access catheter on hand. He also went through many other types of tests. The doctor told me that these tests were done to keep tracking the leukemia cells and make the required changes to my son’s treatment.

During this entire process, I regularly received calls from my India cancer surgery site coordinator. She kept track of my son’s treatment and kept asking me if I needed any additional support. Now after Dr. Bhargava’s statement that the treatment was successful, I was so relieved. He told me that now I could return back to my country. All that was needed was to go and see my son’s early cancer doctor. My son should visit the cancer specialist every 2 weeks for the next 2 months. After that, the frequency of visits could be reduced. Before leaving, I had a long discussion with Dr. Bhargava. He was so good at listening to me and answering all my questions. I asked him about the future of my son’s cancer. He said that all tests show positive results and the transplant was successful. Given the severity of my son’s leukemia and the success rate of bone marrow transplant for Sickle Cell associated with it, he was confident that there is very less chance of remission. He gave me his personal phone number and asked me to contact him anytime for any concerns. He also asked me to get my son’s doctor in the Czech Republic to call him to discuss the future courses of treatment and monitoring. I was so thankful to him and his entire team. Before we left, all the medical team that took care of my son came to see us off at the facility. We felt so special. Everyone was so pleasant from the time we stepped into India. I think I could not have asked for anything more.

My India cancer surgery site coordinator made the arrangement for our return journey and discussed further process. She also said that I should contact her for any concerns or complications in the future. She said that if there is any remission in the future, I should get back to her and Dr. Bhargava. I was happy to have found such responsible people. When we left for my country, we had tears in our eyes. My cousin's sister was so moved by the courteous and supportive nature of all these medical team members. Once we were home, everyone in my family came to see us.My India cancer surgery site coordinator made the arrangement for our return journey and discussed further process. She also said that I should contact her for any concerns or complications in the future. She said that if there is any remission in the future, I should get back to her and Dr. Bhargava. I was happy to have found such responsible people. When we left for my country, we had tears in our eyes. My cousin's sister was so moved by the courteous and supportive nature of all these medical team members. Once we were home, everyone in my family came to see us.

Now it has been more than 4 years since my son’s successful bone marrow transplant treatment and Top bone marrow transplant hospitals in India, he is a healthy young man. He is free from leukemia and is looking forward to a promising educational career. I cannot be thankful enough to everyone who came together and helped in the treatment of my son’s leukemia. This included everyone from my cousin's sister who guided me to seek treatment in India, my extended family members, my son’s doctors, and the medical team, and the India cancer surgery site group. If I had not found the India cancer surgery site group, I may not have been able to take my son to India or seek treatment from Dr. Rahul Bhargava bone marrow transplant surgeon in India.

As I mentioned earlier, there are angels living in this world. They look like ordinary human beings.

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