Houston - Need Blood Donation

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Skand

Feb 18, 2012

Request for platelet / granulocyte donors in Houston , Texas
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A friend's son is under treatment in Houston and needs help. Son's name is Akash. Following is the description (from Akash's mother, Sujatha) of the ailment and how the donors can help:
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Akash had 2 rounds of chemo therapy at Stanford hospital and is in much better shape now. The treatment however still has a long way to go. He will later on need a bone marrow transplant , but we've had a huge stroke of luck there, my elder son Arjun weve found is an HLA identical donor.

Best chance of a transplant working are with a disease free marrow, so more treatment may be needed. The only option at Stanford is further, harsher chemo. Chemo also kills all your normal blood cells, so he's had to fight some infections which are now almost under control. There is an alternative treatment option we want to try, to avoid more chemo. This is a clinical trial on a chemical called blinamutomab at MD Anderson Cancer Centre , so we've moved him to this hospital, in Houston Texas. This works with our own body's T ce lls and enables them to recognize and attack cancer cells . Phase I had good success rates with refractory ALL and this is now phase II. Best thing about it is it will perform the function of chemo without chemo's toxic side effects.

So anyway, here's what I need, please : if any of you know any blood donors in Houston, TX pl ask them to contact me by email (*) Don't need blood actually, he needs granulocyte transfusions ( White blood corpuscles ) to fight infections. I am a compatible platelet donor , got screened to day to see if I can donate wbc's too, and Aks dad and uncle who r here r getting screened too, but will need more . Doesn't have to be his blood group ( B +ve) either, any group's OK.

Donors can also call Mr Virgil Reddy one of the co ordinators at the blood bank here on 713 792 7788 and come for screening. They have to say its for Akash Dube, MRN # 915744 which is Akash's file number here.

MD A have 2 blood donation centers

1. Mays Clinic 1220, Holcombe , Entrance 5, Floor 2

2. Holly Hall 2555 Holly Hall , just East of Almeda

MD Anderson is in a huge cluster of hospitals in an area of Houston known as the Texas Medical Centre.

MD Anderson blood donation website : http://www.mdanderson.org/how-you-can-help/donate-blood/index.html

Warm rgrds,

Sujatha
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Regards,

Skand

(*) - Please get in touch with me for Sujatha's email address.