DKMS Foundation India, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and other blood disorders such as thalassemia and aplastic anaemia, celebrates siblinghood this Raksha Bandhan with the story of a brother-sister duo whose bond went far beyond the traditional thread.
India faces a significant healthcare challenge, with over 10,000 children estimated to be born with thalassemia major every year. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that affects the body’s ability to produce healthy haemoglobin, the protein responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood. Severe forms of the condition can cause significant anemia and require patients to undergo regular blood transfusions. For eligible patients, a blood stem cell transplant can offer a potential cure. However, finding a suitable donor and accessing transplantation remain a significant challenge, particularly for families facing financial and logistical barriers.
Som Yadav was just five months old when he was diagnosed with Thalassemia Major. His younger sister, Saumya, was later diagnosed with the same disease. With no full HLA match within the family, both children depended on regular blood transfusions, and for their financially vulnerable family in a small village, arranging blood and medicines every month was a constant struggle. Then, in 2021, a third sibling, Khushi, was born.
The family received free HLA typing from DKMS at a camp organized by Narayana Health and KASH Foundation. Incidentally, Khushi was a perfect 12/12 HLA match for her brother, Som.
Soon Khushi was able to donate her stem cells to Som in 2023 at the age of two years. Today, Som is healthy, living a normal life, and going to school. Khushi was just two years old when she became her brother’s donor, too young to understand the magnitude of what she had given, yet old enough to become his strength.
Raksha Bandhan has traditionally been about a brother’s promise to stand by and protect his sister. But Som and Khushi’s story gently challenges that idea, showing us that love between siblings knows no age, role or expectation. Sometimes, the strongest source of courage can come from the smallest person beside you. This Raksha Bandhan, Khushi’s journey reminds us that protection is not always about shielding someone from harm; it can also mean giving each other hope, standing strong together and finding the courage to face the hardest moments, hand in hand.
Speaking about the special case, Patrick Paul, Executive Chairman, DKMS Foundation India, said, “Som and Khushi’s story gives Raksha Bandhan a deeply meaningful dimension, but it also highlights an important healthcare reality: not every patient with a blood disorder is fortunate enough to find a matching donor within their family. India’s genetic diversity makes finding a compatible unrelated donor particularly challenging, while only 0.09% of Indians in the relevant age group are registered as blood stem cell donors. At DKMS, we work to bridge this gap by helping economically disadvantaged patients access high-resolution HLA typing and, when a family match is not available, connect with the global registry of unrelated donors.”
