Bone marrow transplant patient successfully battles COVID

Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they are destined by god to help you grow into a stronger version of you. This is the driving thought behind Ms Anita Sing, a 47 year old lady from Bilaspur(C.G.) who was diagnosed with Mantle cell lymphoma blastoid variant in 2018.

With a positive mind and strong will power, she completed six chemo cycles followed by an Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant in 2018 and stepped into her new life with the support of Oncology department at Alexis Multispeciality Hospital, Nagpur under the guidance of Dr Amol Dongre, Medical Oncologist, and Haematologist & Bone Marrow Transplant Physician.

Mrs Singh was again admitted to Alexis Hospital in Sept 2020, with severe symptomatic COVID infection. It was a challenging situation, both for her & for Dr Dongre to get her back to normalcy. Transplant patients can remain vulnerable to infections, so special precautions are always advised and necessary — even against a common cold. Now, with this COVID virus if you’re a BMT patient, one must not only follow the same COVID restrictions that apply to most of the public, but also take even greater care to safeguard their health.

The team of infectious disease specialists Dr Nitin Shinde and Pulmonologist Dr Manoj Pethe who were monitoring her COVID pneumonia, advised her to take two units of plasma in view of her deteriorating clinical condition. Following this, for a second time, Dr Amol Dongre went the extra mile and came to her rescue by donating his own plasma for her treatment and with dedication & patience Mrs. Singh was back to normal within 20 days of hospitalisation with no co morbidities.

Mr. Singh, husband of Anita Singh says, “During both the life threatening situations, we were rest assured of the best outcome by the entire treating team of Alexis. We are extremely satisfied with the comprehensive dedicated care we have received and the doctors’ commitment to treat their patient even in such risky situations.”

Educating on the increased risk after a transplant, Dr. Dongre says “Patients should also be aware and cautious of the people around them, the people they live with, and be more careful than they might have been otherwise. When you have a bone marrow transplant, you’ve been given a brand new immune system, which must learn how to fight off infections all over again.”

Anita Singh says “Dr Amol is just after almighty god for me. He has saved my life twice and I will always and always be thankful to him until my last breath.”