The result of hi-resolution 10 factor Donor search should be out by next week. This is one of the most critical events.

According to Dr Fredrick Applebaum of Fred Hutchison hospital, Seattle, best is to have a donor in the following sequence..

1. Matched Sibling (Not available in Gaurav’s case)
2. 10/10 Matched Unrelated Donor (MUD)
3. 9/10 Matched Unrelated Donor (Depending on which allele is a mismatch)
4. Haploidentical Donor
5. Autologous (Own marrow, ruled out again in Gaurav’s case)

So it’s either 2,3 or 4 for Gaurav.

The transplant MUST be done during 1st remission for best results.

So it’s now a decision between:

a) Waiting for 10/10 or 9/10 unrelated donor
OR
b) Go with haploidentical donor (Gaurav’s sister) right away without wasting any time

Top doctors’s opinion is clearly divided on this.

So we’ve decided to keep both the options ready (working on travel documents & other formalities for a Haploidentical transplant in Israel) and MUD operation in Vellore/Israel as soon as we get a donor.

It appears that ‘patience’ is the name of the game in these uncertain moments. The key is to decide ‘which type of donor’ and ‘when’would be best (timing is everything).

The collection figures have reached Rs. 1.225 Cr (Approx. US$ 272,000). Thank you very much!