Dear Supporters, 

I am Uthra Nagarajan, an Open Fellow at Milaap. I spoke to Pius Sebastian, Tom’s uncle.

The search for a perfect stem-cell match for Tom did not work out; the one donor who was a complete match is in Philippines and is unable to donate. 

Tom’s father is a partial match (50 percent) and the discussion on whether he could be a donor  started a month ago. “But Tom’s doctors are very hesitant,” said Pius, over a phone call. “There is a high chance of Tom rejecting a partial match and this would risk his health further.” 

The family hasn’t lost hope yet. Tom is still on the transplant list and the search for a complete match has intensified. Currently, Tom has finished his initial eight chemotherapy sessions and is now in maintenance mode. He takes injections once in 15 days and undergoes chemotherapy once in three months. “If at any time his condition worsens, we will have to go ahead with the partial match transplant, even though it is highly risky” said Pius Sebastian. 

Thank you for the amazing support. I will keep you posted with more updates in the coming days.

Dear Supporters,

The stalemate situation with Tom’s stem cell transplant continues. The identified donor is out of Country and not in a position to donate the stem cells. Incidentally doctors in CMC are of the opinion that no other partially matched donors are good for transplant at this stage. Because of this the Chemotherapy sessions are still continuing. He just finished the 7th round of Chemotherapy. He needs to get admitted for the 8th round next week. Tom and family are still continuing in Vellore and they just completed 6 months stay in CMC Vellore. Please keep praying for Tom.

Hi All

Tom’s stem cell transplant is getting delayed because of unique situation. Identified donor is in Philippines and his return to India is getting delayed. His stem cells are a perfect 10/10 match and doctors are keen on getting the same stem cells for transplant. They are exploring whether stem cells can be donated in Philippines. Let’s hope for the best. Tom need to take couple more Chemotherapies because of the delay in transplant. They are still continuing in Hospital. Tom’s overall health condition is good and he is quite cheerful as ever. Please keep praying for his full recovery and successful Stem Cell Transplantation

Regards

Pius Sebastian