‘The Power of Family’: Young Woman in Yerevan Donates Stem Cells to Help Save Her Mother’s Life
The Harvesting of the Donated Stem Cells is the 45th Such Procedure Performed by Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
LOS ANGELES — A young Yerevan resident donated bone marrow stem cells for an urgent transplant that might help her mother survive a life-threatening blood-related illness, on July 13.
The harvesting of the donated stem cells is the 45th such procedure to be performed by the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. The harvesting took place at ABMDR’s Stem Cell Harvesting Center, in the Armenian capital.
Immediately after being identified by ABMDR as a matched donor for her mother, the young woman was admitted to the registry’s headquarters for the harvesting. The painless, non-invasive procedure was performed by Dr. Andranik Mshetsyan, the Stem Cell Harvesting Center’s resident physician.
“Our young donor’s gift of stem cells is significant not only in medical terms, but also as a wonderful manifestation of love and dedication among family members,” said ABMDR Executive Director Dr. Sevak Avagyan.
Present during the procedure were, in addition to Dr. Avagyan, ABMDR Medical Director Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan and other lab personnel. Also present were ABMDR Board of Advisors member Taleen Khatchadourian and her daughter, Jacqueline Khatchadourian, of Los Angeles. Jacqueline had just completed a two-week internship at the ABMDR Lab.
Shortly after the harvesting procedure, the donated stem cells were flown to Germany, personally delivered by a specially-licensed international courier. It was in Germany that the donor’s mother was to undergo a potentially life-saving transplant.
As stated by ABMDR President Dr. Frieda Jordan, “Every transplant is a challenge, involving the work of many specialists. But once the process is set in motion, everyone involved focuses on a single goal, which is to get the donated stem cells to the patient as quickly as possible for helping them survive a potentially fatal illness.”
Anyone in good health between the ages of 18 and 50 can register with ABMDR as a potential bone marrow stem cell donor, for a chance to save someone’s life. Given the unique genetic makeup of ethnic Armenians, ABMDR needs to maintain a robust global registry of Armenian donors.
Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 33,500 donors in 32 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 45 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit the ABMDR website.
