Pune: In a remarkable medical achievement, a 1.5-year-old girl became a lifesaving stem cell donor for her 10-year-old sister, curing her of Thalassemia Intermedia, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder. The transplant was successfully performed at Ruby Hall Clinic and Yashoda Hematology Center, Pune, under the guidance of Dr. Vijay Ramanan, a leading bone marrow transplant specialist.
Prajitha Ghosh, originally from West Bengal, had been diagnosed with Thalassemia Intermedia when she was just one year old. For nearly a decade, she relied on frequent blood transfusions, traveling 160 kilometers twice a month to receive them.
While medication helped reduce her need for transfusions since 2021, her father wanted a permanent cure. A stem cell transplant was the only viable solution, requiring a genetically matched donor, which is usually a sibling. Understanding this, Prajitha’s parents decided to have another child, and in January 2023, her younger sister was born.
Doctors conducted an HLA compatibility test, which confirmed that the younger sibling was a perfect match. Instead of the traditional bone marrow transplant, doctors opted for a blood-based stem cell extraction, which doubled the necessary stem cell dose in a single attempt. The process was executed with the support of Dr. C. N. Makhale, pediatrician Dr. Kanchan Kumar, and a team of nurses.
The procedure, which would typically cost ₹11 lakh, was made possible through 80% financial assistance from government schemes and charitable donations.
India witnesses 20,000 new cases of Thalassemia Intermedia Major every year, with approximately three lakh existing patients needing advanced therapy. Medical experts stress the importance of thalassemia screening for parents to prevent transmission to their children.
“If both parents are carriers of thalassemia, their child has a high risk of developing the disease. It is crucial for couples to undergo thalassemia testing before planning a pregnancy:" Dr. Vijay Ramanan, Hematologist & Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist, Yashoda Hematology Center
