Ismail Successfully Underwent Bone Marrow Transplant in India

Patient Name-Ismail

Medical Issue/Treatment Done– Sickle Cell Anemia/ Bone Marrow Transplant 

Treating Doctor– Dr. Vikas Dua

Hospital– Fortis Gurgaon

Country– Nigeria

Age– 6 

Chief Complaint– The patient had a history of pain crisis and frequent hospitalization which was creating problems in living a normal life. The patient successfully underwent Bone Marrow Transplant in India.

Ismail, like every other child, was born normally with no medical ailment. Things were smooth, but destiny has its ways. On turning six, he had a sudden pain in the abdomen. His parents took Ismail to a general practitioner. He prescribed some medications and in a couple of days, the pain settled. After a few days, the pain recurred in other body parts too, with high intensity. The doctor sensed some serious issue and referred him to a hematologist. 

Diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia!

After evaluating him thoroughly, Ismail was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. This medical condition required back and forth visits to the hospital, frequent hospitalization, and unprecedented treatment costs. It started affecting him in academics as well. Unfortunately, the doctor was unable to treat him effectively. As a result, his condition started worsening. Lesser access to healthcare facilities in his native country, his parents got one thing cleared in their mind they must find a treatment for this medical problem so that their child can live a healthy and happy life. They understood one thing Sickle Cell Anemia was not only affecting this child but was also creating trouble in their family life. Hence, they aggressively started looking for affordable treatment options in other countries.

Finally, their research ended in India after watching a patient testimonial on being successfully treated in India. However, this wasn’t the end. The main problem was how to plan a visit to India. 

How Medsurge India was helpful to Ismail for Bone Marrow Transplant in India

One of their close relatives who recently visited India for medical treatment asked them to contact – Medsurge India who had helped them in the smooth treatment of their child as well. As per their recommendation, they contacted the team and immediately got a response. After collecting all the reports, the Medsurge team arranged a video consultation with the Pediatric Hematologist, Dr. Vikas Dua from Fortis Hospital Gurgaon.

After a complete evaluation and understanding the severity of the disease, the doctor advised for bone marrow transplant which would require hospitalization and donor for extraction of healthy stem cells. To get the right donor, the doctor explained the whole process on the HLA typing test of Ismail, his parents, and his sibling. For doing the HLA test, the Medsurge team sent HLA kits to the family via courier. After getting the results of the tests, the full match donor was luckily found in his family. Ismail’s little brother aged three years old was a complete match.

Afterward, Medsurge India planned medical treatment for Ismail’s sickle cell treatment in India. Upon arriving in India, Dushyant took care of all their basic needs including airport pickup, transportation, accommodation, food, money transfer, language interpreter, and even affordable bone marrow transplant costs in India including tests, follow-ups, stay in the hospital. Above all, Medsurge also helped with visa assistance.

Ismail’s parents were quite worried about everything like treatment, recovery, and things needed for staying in India. The next day, Dushyant took them to Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon for their appointment. Dr. Dua briefly explained the process, recovery time, and the possibility of risk of infection post-transplant. The discussion gave them a lot of hope to go ahead with the treatment. 

Helpful- Dr. Vikas Dua Explaining Sickle Anemia Treatment by Bone Marrow Transplant

The Briefing of Bone Marrow Transplant!

The procedure started with pre-evaluation tests of Ismail and the donor in which the stem cells were harvested from the donor just like blood donation. His brother who was the donor for Ismail donated the stem cells and the process of stem cell donation is very simple and painless, its like blood donation.  After the bone marrow transplant was done, Ismail was kept under the doctor’s supervision for regular monitoring. By God’s grace, the procedure went smoothly as it was a full match transplant. 

Stem Cell Donation Process

Post Discharge

Ismail was discharged after a month. For regular follow-ups, Dushyant helped them with accommodation near the hospital. The follow-ups were for about two months. Although Ismail shed pounds post-surgery, the best thing was he started to recover. Not only with basic needs, but Dushyant and his team also supported them throughout their journey. 

After two months, Ismail and his parents happily departed from India. Dr. Vikas had told them to be in touch via Whatsapp for further consultations. Medsurge India is still in touch with them to know about Ismail’s health. Ismail’s parents are really grateful to Dushyant and Dr. Vikas Dua for saving Ismail’s life!

About Dr. Vikas Dua!

Dr Vikas Dua with Happy Kids!!

Dr. Vikas Dua is a well-known Pediatric Hematologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist with more than two decades of experience. He is known to have performed successful surgeries for treating thalassemia and leukemia cases in children from across the globe including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and African countries.

Helpful- Know More About Dr. Vikas Dua