In an emotionally charged event in New Delhi, actress and author Tisca Chopra unveiled “Mandeep Meets Mandeep,” a non-fiction book by Dr. Sona Sharma. The book recounts the remarkable journey of two individuals named Mandeep, whose lives intersected in a profound way through a stem cell transplant.
The story centers around Mandeep, a 35-year-old farmer from Punjab, who battled Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Despite efforts to find a suitable stem cell donor within his family, Mandeep had to wait over three years until an unrelated donor was identified with the help of DKMS BMST Foundation India. This led to a life-saving transplant in January 2020. The book highlights themes of sacrifice, community support, and the delicate balance of life, showcasing the power of a unique genetic match to offer hope and a chance at survival.
Patrick Paul, CEO of DKMS-BMST Foundation India, emphasized the organization’s commitment to facilitating life-saving connections, citing Mandeep Singh and Mandeep Mann’s journey as a testament to the impact of collective generosity.
Tisca Chopra, deeply moved by the story, pledged to register as a potential stem cell donor and encouraged others to join the cause. Mandeep Singh, the cancer survivor, expressed profound gratitude for finding his donor, Mandeep Mann, through the DKMS-BMST database.
Mandeep Mann, the donor, shared his motivation for donating stem cells, despite facing personal challenges. He described the surreal experience of meeting Mandeep Singh and emphasized the power of compassion and interconnectedness.
The event aimed to raise awareness about the scarcity of matching blood stem cell donors in India and encouraged individuals to register as potential lifesavers. DKMS-BMST strives to bridge this gap by facilitating donor registration and promoting awareness about blood stem cell donation. Interested individuals between 18 and 55 years old can easily register online for a home swab kit at www.dkms-bmst.org/register, contributing to the lifesaving cause in just five minutes.
The actress also registered as a stem cell donor with DKMS BMST Foundation India