Facilitated by ABMDR, the cell-harvesting procedure is the 37th in the history of the organization.
LOS ANGELES—A Yerevan resident donated bone marrow stem cells on December 13 to help save the life of a patient in Canada.
The donor was identified by the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry as a perfect bone marrow match for the patient in Canada, who suffers from leukemia. The harvesting of the donor’s bone marrow stem cells, facilitated by ABMDR, was performed in the Armenian capital, with the intention of using them for an urgent transplant that could potentially save the patient’s life.
The painless, non-invasive harvesting of the donor’s stem cells was the 37th such procedure in ABMDR’s history. As soon as the harvesting was completed, the cells were flown to Canada with the help of a special courier. Present at the harvesting procedure were ABMDR Executive Director Dr. Sevak Avagyan and ABMDR Medical Director Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan, among other lab-staff members.
Commenting on the process of harvesting a donor’s stem cells and delivering them for a life-saving transplant, Dr. Sevak Avagyan said, “Every link in the chain of medical professionals who relay the hope of life from hand to hand, from country to country, must work smoothly. This is when all borders are opened, people forget their nationality, and pursue a single goal: to deliver the precious donated stem cells as soon as possible for a chance to safe the life of a patient.”
About the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry: Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 32,000 donors in 44 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 37 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit ABMDR’s website.