Tanzania: Child suffering from cancer gets bloodless transplant

[Isabella]

Bengaluru: A cancer patient requiring bone marrow transplant can become a complicated case if he or she belongs to Jehovah’s Witnesses denomination as blood transfusion is a taboo for the community even during life-threatening conditions. 
However, a four-year-old boy from Tanzania, who was suffering from fourth stage abdominal cancer and belonged to Jehovah’s Witnesses, successfully underwent bone marrow transplant (BMT) in Bengluru in what was a bloodlessprocedure. 
The treatment usually entails five to six blood transfusions, but in this case, doctors at Mazumdar Shah Cancer Centre, Narayana Health City increased his blood levels three weeks prior to the procedure. 
Ittai James Moshi from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania underwent the transplant in September 2019 and is recovering. Ittai’s parents, IT employees in Tanzania, shifted to Bengaluru in late 2018 for his treatment. “In mid-2018, my son started having high fever, body pain and stomach cramps. No medicine helped despite repeated consultations with pediatricians in Tanzania. By October 2018, he stopped walking,” said James Moshi. 
A private hospital in Bengaluru first treated Ittai for bacterial infection. “His infection had spread to the skeletal system. On seeing no recovery, a battery of tests were done. He was then diagnosed with cancer,” recalled Moshi.

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[Arauna]

Now it is much easier than 40 years ago when my daughter had her surgery!  Thanks to the excellent doctors who found a way to do it! 

 

[Isabella]

@Arauna I'd like to hear your experience if you'd like to share it someday  

[Arauna]

Parts of my story I wrote here on this forum in defence of our blood stance - not the entire story.  Cancer is a horrible disease - especially in babies. 

I was fortunate, South Africa at that time had some of the best infrastructure and surgeons in the world.

They wanted to give her blood during surgery (secretly) but one of the nurses was a JW. She protested.

She had an operation at 8 and half months that lasted the whole day!  It was on the spinal cord on both sides of the chest - 5 cm - large for a small baby.  They did a thoractomy - cut half the body open and removed it in this way.

The surgeon cauterized all the blood vessels as he worked..... she was so close to death, I was not allowed to see her until late that night.  The next day she breathed without machines. She healed fast after that..... usually these patients bleed for at least 21 days...... but after 2 days she stopped. They took the pipes out.

Directly after the surgery they gave her blood boosters.  She was a miracle - she went home on 5 or 6th day....( I cannot remember... accurately).

Afterwards I studied what happens in the body when you take blood. It was then I realized that if she had taken a drop of blood on such a major surgery she would have had anaphalactic shock and died.  Obedience to jehovah saved my child.....

[Isabella]

Wow,  thanks for sharing your story, it touched my heart

[Isabella]

Bengaluru doctors save life of 4-year-old boy with bloodless bone marrow transplant

The boy belongs to the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, the followers of which cannot take blood transfusions as treatment.

It is not rare for doctors to take young children for bone marrow transplants. In fact, it is one of the most effective treatments for certain forms of leukaemia and other disorders. However, when the individual in question belongs to a faith which doesn’t permit them to get a normal blood transfusion, how do doctors tackle such a challenge? Bloodless bone marrow transplants are given to individuals belonging to the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, and this was exactly the method used by doctors in Bengaluru to save a 4-year-old boy.

Ittai James Moshi and his parents hail from Tanzania. The boy’s parents are both IT professionals who moved to Bengaluru in 2018 for his treatment. He was diagnosed with a form of abdominal cancer and required a bone marrow transplant to treat him. However, the standard procedure to initiate a bone marrow transplant involves getting a blood transfusion. As Ittai and his parents belong to the Jehovah’s Witnesses community, it was not allowed for him to undergo the routine transplant.

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/bengaluru-doctors-save-life-4-year-old-boy-bloodless-bone-marrow-transplant-116255