Covid couldn't deter duo's commitment to donate

KOCHI: The worst of times sometimes brings out the best in people. Koyilandy native Aakash Suresh and Kochi man Vishnu B have turned life-savers during these Covid times after they stepped forward to support cancer patients outside Kerala because cancer treatment cannot be postponed.
The duo kept their commitment to donate stem cells for a needy patient despite the restrictions.
"I was alerted sometime in February that my blood matched with a cancer patient," said Aakash Suresh, a student of MHES College of Science and Technology, Vadakara, Calicut.
"After the initial tests, I was cleared for donation in March when Covid became a crisis. The donation was put off but I was called by the Datri team which was coordinating the donation asking if I would be willing as the patient's condition had become worse and they could not put off any further. I agreed and since I was in Kozhikode, a member from Datri came over and stayed near my place so that he could administer the injections for generating stem cells," he added.
As for Vishnu, a resident of Maradu, the Datri call came two months ago and he was asked his willingness to donate in May. As the patient's condition deteriorated, Vishnu's parents spoke to a relative who is a doctor on the safety aspects. Once they were convinced, he underwent two Covid tests, one during the health check-up and another before the five-day injections were started. "For the tests, I took my bike and didn't opt for their transport because I live in Kochi and the donation was here itself," said Vishnu, a B-Tech graduate who is readying to join for MBA.
Two Covid tests were done during this period to verify his and the patient's safety and he donated on June 12.
"We are only reaching out to people in an emergency when the doctors also say that there is an urgency. Full care is taken because of the pandemic," said Aby Sam John, head- donor recruitment & counselling (Kerala), Datri.
He said that though there are a lot of requests, hospitals are also taking up only emergency cases because of the risk to the patient in the wake of Covid. Datri officials said that the safety of the donor and family is ensured at each step. All the coordinators who are interacting directly with donors must be marked negative for a corona test. Travel facilities were arranged in a way as per the social distancing protocols for donors for every donation-related travel needs. During these steps from health check and donation, the corona test is performed two times for donors and ensures safety.
The four days of injections before donations are arranged at the donor's place so that they can avoid travel and stay at home. The goody bag with face masks, hand gloves, sanitizer, hand wash, and wet wipes is provided to donors for keeping the safety part tight. Regular follow-ups are carried out with donors post-donation to ensure their safety against Covid.