Finding a genetic twin: a meeting between a bone marrow donor and its recipient took place at the RUSSIA EXPO
The meeting between bone marrow donor Temerlan Abdulaev and recipient Alexandra Sakhnenko took place at the RUSSIA EXPO on National Donor Day at the venue of the Russian Ministry of Health's exposition "In the Service of Health!". The communication was
organized in an online format — according to the current rules in the medical
community, they cannot meet for two years. All the donor and patient know about
each other is gender and age.
"After
joining the Bone Marrow Donor Registry, I literally waited every day for my
genetic twin to be found — I had always been curious about it. The call came
three years later — it made me rethink my life," Temerlan Abdulaev shared.
"Temerlan
turned out to be the only person who was able to save me. I experienced all the
feelings one can experience — joy, fear, endless happiness and gratitude,"
Alexandra Sakhnenko added.
Bone marrow
transplantation becomes the last chance for patients with oncologic blood
diseases, when other methods of therapy do not work, said Olga Alyoshina,
hematologist, head of the cell and immune therapy department of the National
Medical Research Center of Hematology of the Ministry of Health of Russia. She
also spoke about the procedure of bone marrow intake.
"About
25 thousand people in Russia annually face diseases of hematopoietic tissues
and lymphatic system. About five thousand people out of them need
transplantation. Bone marrow can be obtained either from family members or from
unrelated donors. In the latter case, the chance of compatibility is 1:10,000.
The Russian register of bone marrow donors helps in finding a suitable donor.
As of today, there are 334 thousand people in it, and it continues to
grow," said Olga Alyoshina.
No less
important is donor blood — it cannot be replaced by anything, as it is a
prerequisite for the survival of many patients, said Tatiana Gaponova, a
transfusion doctor, First Deputy Director General of the NMRC of Hematology of
the Ministry of Health of Russia, chief out-of-state transfusion specialist of
the Ministry of Health of Russia. She told about the procedure of blood
donation and explained the current rules.
"For
many people, donor blood is the only chance to survive. Today it cannot be
replaced by anything. Without it, no high-tech treatment methods, targeting
agents will not help save the patient's life. It just has to be there. That is
why donation is mutual help and a 'silent feat' for the sake of others,"
said Tatiana Gaponova.
