How this Mumbai family found the only man who can save their son

After several years of struggle, doctors have found one man in the whole world who can donate marrow to Krishna Gulwani; now his family has to raise Rs 80 lakh before October

Jitendra Gulwani with his son, Krishna, and wife. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

For four years, the Gulwani family searched far and wide for a bone marrow donor who could save their six-year-old's life, until they found a match all the way in Taiwan. But even as the hunt for a donor has come to an end, the family has begun another search, this time for the Rs 80 lakh they will need for the transplant in the foreign country.

The family has been looking for a bone marrow donor for Krishna for four years

In 2011, Jitendra Gulwani welcomed his second child, Krishna, into the world. Six months later, they learnt that was suffering from a deadly condition - Thalassemia major, a hereditary disease that does not allow the body to produce normal haemoglobin. Patients experience chronic fatigue and develop severe anaemia within the first year of life.

For the last six years, Krishna has survived on monthly blood transfusions. Treatment has been expensive, and Jitendra earns a modest Rs 15,000 working at Ajit Medical and Provision Stores in Dadar. The Gulwanis have already sold all their jewellery and depleted their bank savings. Luckily, his employer Ajit Shah has come to the rescue, contributing R20 lakh for the treatment so far. "I instructed other workers at my shop to help Jitendra in any way required. So far, we have financed all the expenses, starting from his medicines to travel," said Shah.

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Four years of struggle
The only cure is a bone marrow transplant, but that would require a donor who will match little Krishna's genetic marker, known as the Human Leukocyte Antigen or HLA.

Doctors prefer to use the bone marrow of siblings, who have a 25 per cent chance of matching the patient. In Krishna's case, the doctors took the samples of all the family members, including his 10-year-old sister and his cousins, but no one was a match.

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Jitendra and Shah looked up doctors in Pune, Ahmedabad and Vellore, but didn't find a match. "Recently, we went to meet a doctor in Chennai, but even he couldn't find any. Finally, we found a donor in Taiwan through Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The doctor has booked the donor for my son, but we don't have the money for the surgery," he said.

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They went to Taiwan in May for the collection of blood samples, after which the doctor was finally able to zero in on a donor. But the surgery and travel to Taiwan will cost Rs 80 lakh – money the Gulwani family does not have. Another thing they do not have is time; the doctor has given them till October to collect the funds.

"We have till October to collect such a big amount for the transplant. This is my last hope to save my child's life," said Jitendra.

The days are slipping past, but despite knocking at the doors of several organisations, the family hasn't received any help. Ajit's niece, Tanvi Shah, who is pursuing a masters in landscape architecture in the US, will now launch an online petition to raise money for the treatment.

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