For years, Waliullah’s family lived from one blood transfusion to the next. Then came a fully matched donor and a possible way out of thalassemia.
The news should have brought relief. Instead, it brought fear.
The youngest of 6, Waliullah was diagnosed when his parents were already around 50. Having struggled to accept regular transfusions, a bone marrow transplant felt overwhelming. “We had many doubts and fears. As parents, making this decision for our child was extremely difficult.”
It meant his mother leaving home and her other children to stay in Bengaluru for nearly a year.
But counselling and seeing other children complete their transplants slowly gave them confidence.
Finally, they said yes.
Today, Waliullah is 11 and has recovered from thalassemia.
“Looking at him today, we know it was the one bold step we had to take for our son’s future.”