November 26, 2005
Survivor:NYCHealth and Medicine
In 1998, Nidha Mubdi, a student at St. John’s University in New York, discovered during a routine checkup that she had leukemia. After much searching through SAMAR, a donor named Himesh Kapadia stepped forward:
The bone marrow donation saved her life, but Mubdi’s kidneys began failing because of chemotherapy, and she’s been on dialysis for the last five years. But earlier this month, Derek Ivery, a friend from Queens College, gave her one of his kidneys, a much more serious operation:
Mubdi’s family members were tested to see if they could donate a kidney, but no one came up as a match. [Link]
Ivery, of Queens, decided to step forward after Mubdi put out a call for a donor on the Internet. They had met when when they were student advisers at Queens College… Mubdi’s grateful father, Shelley Mubdi, a Bangladeshi immigrant who is president of Medina Masjid, a Manhattan mosque, called Ivery, a “courageous man…”
Ivery, 26, and Mubdi, 25, were resting comfortably at New York Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital last night after the nine-hour operation. [Link]
So far, the transplant appears to be a success:
“Her new kidney is working perfectly normally,” Hardy said yesterday, noting that Mubdi has begun to urinate - a sign the transplant was a success.
Doctors will be on the lookout for symptoms of organ rejection, but Mubdi should be out of the woods in six weeks and able to live a normal life, Hardy said. [Link]
Ivery’s first thoughts were for his buddy:
These days have been uncommonly mild for autumn, but Derek Ivery insists on wearing a sweater and jacket over his tall and very thin frame. He cannot get sick. [Link]“I feel a little bad because she’s in a little more pain than I am,” Ivery said. “Because of all the medication she’s been on, she couldn’t get all the anesthesia that I had.” [Link]
Thanksgiving indeed. Mubdi graduated from Queens College last year. Here are photos of her family celebrating her survival five years after her bone marrow transplant. Here’s how to register in the South Asian bone marrow registry.
Related posts: Finding her match, Child needs bone marrow transplant, Campaign Yields South Asian Bone Marrow Transplant Donor, They got married the next day, A dialogue between generations
manish on November 26, 2005 01:19 PM in Health and Medicine · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
I've thought long and hard about which story to shed a tear over (limit 1 per day): Whites "Forced" to Leave their Hood" , over "Survivor NYC". It was a difficult decision process; as much as I heard the sound of tiny violins playing in the background of the former story, I finally decided to get teary-eyed over this one.
In all seriousness, what an inspiring story! I've always wondered about people who step up to the plate like this.... You'd have to be a pretty amazing person.
What an amazing guy.
every once in a while you need a feel good story.
this one is mine for today.
What a heartwarming story !!!
I have read that cord blood registries can also be helpful in case of AML or ALL (types of Leukemia). So remember NMDP/SAMAR also spread the word about cord blood donations.
this is an excellent read. may it serve as an inspiration. i know it has for me.
fantastic post.. heartwarming, and appropriate for this time of the year...
bone marrow donation, organ donation and such need to be promoted... from simply signing up at a registry, you can save a life.. i know the mission has been going well from sign ups at the netip conference to other postings on the subject matter on sepiamutiny...
i wish her all the best, and hopefully others can help those in need with a lifesaving gift....
happy holidays!
Awwww....**sniff**sniff** this was sooo sweet.