Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Teen Girl Donates Stem Cells, Giving Brother Leukemia Second Chance
A 10-year-old boy was very sick with a blood cancer called leukemia.
His cancer had returned for the second time.
Doctors first used strong medicines to put the cancer into remission.
They then decided he needed a stem cell transplant to reduce the chance of the cancer returning.
His 17-year-old sister was a suitable donor.
Doctors collected her healthy stem cells and gave them to her brother through a vein.
The new cells began working successfully, and he was discharged in good health.
The hospital also helped the family with medical, emotional, housing, and financial support.
A 17-year-old girl donated stem cells to her 10-year-old brother, who had relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
The siblings travelled from Durgapur to Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre near Chandigarh for treatment.
The boy achieved remission after intensive chemotherapy before undergoing an allogeneic stem cell transplant.
The transplant was the hospital’s first allogeneic bone marrow transplant, and the boy was discharged in good health after recovery.
Government schemes and corporate social responsibility support provided more than Rs 14 lakh in assistance for the family.
- Who
- A 10-year-old boy with leukemia and his 17-year-old sister, who donated stem cells, were treated by doctors at Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre.
- What
- The boy received an allogeneic bone marrow transplant using stem cells donated by his sister.
- When
- He was diagnosed with a second relapse in April and was discharged on Tuesday after recovering from the transplant.
- Where
- Treatment took place at Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre near Chandigarh; the family came from Durgapur, West Bengal.
- Why
- Doctors recommended the transplant because the boy faced a high risk of leukemia returning after remission.
- Patient
- 10-year-old boy with a second relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Donor
- His 17-year-old elder sister
- Treatment
- Allogeneic bone marrow, or stem cell, transplant
- Hospital milestone
- First allogeneic bone marrow transplant at Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre
- Outcome
- The transplanted cells engrafted successfully, and the boy was discharged in good health
- Financial support
- More than Rs 14 lakh arranged through government schemes and corporate social responsibility support
- Programme figures
- Since 2024, the hospital has performed 15 stem cell transplants and three CAR-T cell therapy infusions