As told by grandmother:
My grandchild Bushra was just 6 months old when she was diagnosed as Thalassemia major. Hailing from a Muslim family and a child of consanguineous marriage, it was another jolt for me because having borne a child of Thalassemia major myself I knew about the disease but because of unawareness about prenatal diagnosis and financial constraints, I could not prevent this birth. Just before she turned 13 months, a volunteer in a blood bank in Gujarat informed her father about South East Asia Institute for Thalassemia and gave us Dr Priya’s contact number. Bushra’s father contacted Dr Priya and informed her about the child and our inability to cover expenses for Bone Marrow Transplantation. I still remember Dr Priya’s words when she said, “at our centre we do not hold back treatment because of financial reasons’.
I took my granddaughter to Jaipur and inquired about the cost and details of treatment. We were quoted a sum of INR 700,000 (about $10,000). I informed them that we had INR 250,000 in cash and the rest we would arrange by selling off our house. But we were sternly told NOT to sell our house and SEAIT would see how it would cover the rest of the cost.
HLA typing of Bushra and her brother was done and they were an HLA identical and on 30th March 2013 I stepped into the BMT unit with my granddaughter with prayers in my heart for a successful treatment
My stay in the Unit was like staying at home. An atmosphere of positivity and loving care made me forget the pain of having lost my Thalassemia major son to the dreadful disease just a few months back.
My little baby who used to drink milk and eat just biscuits soon turned into a healthy pink, with a diet like any other child. She was the youngest patient to have undergone BMT in SEAIT.
We were discharged from the unit and came back to our house in Ahmedabad after staying in Jaipur for a total of three months.
SEAIT arranged for the cost of treatment through donations. We spent just INR250,000/-
Thanks to SEAIT, I still have my house and a glowing healthy transfusion free, since more than 9 years lovely granddaughter Bushra.
We are in constant touch with SEAIT and have promised yearly visits to the centre where she would be followed up for many years to come.
I can now finally dream of attending my grandchild’s marriage because she is turning out to be a beautiful girl with a normal life