I remember a few years back when I was carrying my second child; someone introduced me to the term “Stem Cell”. Logically the umbilical cord attached to a newborn is a rich source of Stem Cells that can treat many medical conditions later in life. And this needs to be stored at the time of birth, which is being catered by few agencies. But the reality is that no new parent would want to accept or think that one day their loving child would require those stem cells. They just want hale and hearty child throughout the life.

With the same perception, we dropped the idea behind saving the stem cells from the umbilical cord, which was the first and the last option for us. I know it’s painful to hear the research facts which talks about the killer diseases like Blood Cancer, Thalassemia, Aplastic Anemia taking lives of millions across the globe and how many could have been cured just by having the knowledge of stem cell donation.

I was unaware of the fact that stem cell could be used for saving the life of others, beyond the blood-relation circle or family.

Recently, while trawling through the internet I found one organization whose mission is to save lives of patients suffering from life-threatening blood disorders like Blood Cancer, Thalassemia, Aplastic Anemia etc by providing them blood stem cells or a genetically matched donor. For a moment, I was surprised to see the option other than umbilical cord which serves the purpose. And it’s not limited to the mother-child relationship but could be anyone across the globe.

DATRI, a non-profit organization which seeks to build awareness and enrolls potential blood stem cell donors. It was founded after getting inspired by the registries in the USA and motivated to create a viable registry of Indian donors. There are over 50 donor registries & more than 18.5 million registered donors across the globe, with a very few Indians being a part of it. This reduces the chances of finding a possible match for a patient of Indian origin.

Donor registries work towards creating a diverse database where the search of a life-saving donor meets a match.I think everyone should be made aware of stem cells as this would not only increase the number of donors but this also will bring forward those who can be cured through stem cell transplant.

DATRI is registered member with World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) and follows WMDA guidelines and processes. DATRI is also a recognized member of Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW).
They are registered with Government of India as a Section 25 organization and all monetary contributions towards DATRI are subject to 80G exemptions.

For any other details please click on link: datri.org/donate