My Bald Princess (a love that even cancer couldn't kill...)

Chapter 3

“How is she now?”

Dr. Quraishi inquired as I entered his cabin.

“Alhamdullilah...good. She’s still unconscious but much better than before. The new drug has stabilized her condition.” I assured him smiling but I knew what was coming up next will take away my smile.

“Zaid you know that we cannot rely on this drug for long. It has serious health risk associated with it. The carcinogenic cell inside her body is progressing very fast which is not good. If we don’t take quick actions, we may even loose her.” He said the last part barely audible.

Goosebumps pricked down my arms as those words left his mouth.

“Isin’t there anything we can do to save her?” I asked with trepidation.

“The only alternative left for her at this stage is bone marrow transplant.” He sighted.

“But for stem cell transplant we need a donor whose stem tissue matches with the patient’s. We don’t know anyone from her family so how will we find a donor for her?” I ask him frantically.

“I will mail you some articles related to this topic. You are still an intern here and these things are new to you so read them properly and we’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

“Okay I’ll check them today.” I assured him.

“You are the only person here whom she talks to, so I want you to ask her about her family or any close relative who can be her donor.” He said.

“She keeps her personal information only to herself. I have tried earlier but she chooses not to respond. I’ll try again.” I said as I got up to leave.

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After dinner I logged in to my Gmail account to check the mails. There were six emails with attachments. I read everything carefully and googled the words that were foreign to me.

Bone marrow is the soft, spongy material found within the cavities of large bones. Bone marrow makes more than 20 billion new blood cells, white blood cells and blood platelets. These functions are disrupted in patients suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. In such cases Bone Marrow Transplant is needed.

For this transplantation a matching donor must be found. The process of analyzing donor’s bone marrow is called typing. Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) are specific proteins found throughout the body. The combination of these proteins makes each person’s bone marrow unique. HLA typing is a special blood test that identifies these proteins. A successful bone marrow transplant requires the donation of near-perfect, HLA-matched bone marrow.

Patients in need of a bone marrow transplant can find an HLA-matched donor within their immediate family. Siblings have the highest likelihood of having HLA-matched bone marrow. Parents and children’s can also be tested, but the chances of a match are low. Patients can also get HLA-matched bone marrow from the world wide unrelated and volunteer donors.

I was relived after finding out that there are many donors available throughout the globe. At least there must be someone who’s stem cell matches with Aiman’s.

Three hours later, after going through every possible website relating to bone marrow transplant and leukemia I was tired as hell. Twisting and curling on the bed, my mind wandered around her. This is the only option we are left with. Finding a matching donor worldwide is like searching a small stone in a jar full of rice. I hope there is someone who agrees to be her donor.

I wish we knew all this during my dad’s time, We would have saved him maybe. Cancer is curable only if you have the awareness. Thousands of people die every year just because of lack of treatment. There are many institutions that provide free treatment for under privileges people. Cancer is not a huge fuss unless you make it. Proper treatment and timely medications cures everything. Nothing is impossible in this world. Just be the strongest competitor of the word ‘Nothing’.