LOS ANGELES—Arsen, a young Yerevan resident, donated bone marrow stem cells on September 19 to help save the life of his own brother, who lives in Germany.
The harvesting of the donor’s bone marrow stem cells took place at the Stem Cell Harvesting Center of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR), in the Armenian capital. Thanks to the procedure, the donated stem cells were to be used for an urgent transplant that could help the patient in Germany survive his life-threatening blood-related illness.
“Once Arsen was identified as a matched donor, he immediately checked in at the ABMDR center in Yerevan, to undergo the stem cell harvesting procedure that could help save his brother’s life,” said ABMDR Executive Director Dr. Sevak Avagyan.
The painless, non-invasive harvesting was the 39th of its type facilitated by ABMDR. Present at the procedure were Dr. Avagyan and ABMDR Medical Director Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan, among other medical personnel. As soon as the harvesting was completed, the donated stem cells were flown to Germany via a special courier.
From left: Dr. Sevak Avagyan, Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan, and the special courier who hand-delivered the donated bone marrow stem cells to Germany to help save the life of a cancer patient. Photo courtesy of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
“Every transplant is a challenge, involving the work of many specialists,” said ABMDR President Dr. Frieda Jordan. “And once the process is set in motion, everyone involved focuses on a single goal, which is to get the donated stem cells to the patient as quickly as possible for helping them survive a potentially fatal illness.”
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 33,500 donors in 44 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 39 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit the website.