From being diagnosed with Thalassemia Major at six months of age to about 50 blood transfusions later, a four-year-old girl got a new lease of life after undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT) at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).

Six months after the BMT, the child, who is transfusion-free, donned the doctor’s coat and celebrated her birthday recently with the team of doctors who treated her. According to doctors, the girl was transfusion-dependent Thalassemia Major since she was six months of age, and received approximately 50 blood transfusions before the BMT was performed. Her sister was a match and she donated bone marrow stem cells under general anaesthesia.

Complicated case

She was admitted for BMT in July 2024, and underwent transplantation. Her transplantation was complicated by intercurrent rhinoviral infection needing additional hospital stay. Now, six months has passed since she underwent BMT, and she is transfusion-free.

Her father was a driver, and they were residents of Chennai. E. Theranirajan, dean of RGGGH, said her dream was to become a doctor.

“She recently celebrated her birthday with us. She wore a doctor’s coat and cut a cake,” he said. Aruna Rajendran, Haemato Oncologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Physician, RGGGH, and a team of doctors were present.

Dr. Theranirajan further said that the BMT was started in 2018 at the RGGGH. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the BMT was being done continuously at the hospital, reaching 128 so far.

Health Secretary Supriya Sahu, in a post on social media, said this was “one of those heartwarming stories that remind us why strengthening public health systems is vital”.