“My father’s health is rapidly declining and he needs a stem cell match right away,” says Amrut, Mahesh’s son. “If you are South Asian/Indian then signing up might save our Dad’s life or, if you are not a match for him, you might also save the life of another South Asian looking for a match. We need your help!”

Mahesh, a 68-year-old man, is a loving husband and father of two. In May 2019, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a type of blood cancer. This was the day after celebrating his son’s marriage.

A stem cell transplant is Mahesh’s only chance of beating this disease. Before a transplant takes place, a matching stem cell donor must be found.

Mahesh’s parents hail from Orissa. Today, South Asians make up one percent of the U.S. bone marrow registry. He is an example of the importance of diversifying the Be the Match® registry. It is vital to build a more diverse registry so everyone has an equal opportunity to survive blood cancers.

“I am completely dependent upon the registry to find a match, as my leukemia is aggressive,” Mahesh says. “There are zero matches for me. Being of Indian-American heritage, the population is severely under-represented as donors. If you have just five minutes, I ask you to register.”

Join the registry by texting MAHESH to 61474

Mahesh’s sons are working with the Asian American Donor Program (AADP, www.aadp.org) to find a donor for their dad. AADP is a 30-year-old nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization, based in Alameda, CA, that works to augment the availability of potential stem cell donors for patients with life threatening diseases curable with a blood stem cell transplant. AADP is an official recruitment center for Be The Match.

How You Can Commit to Help

  • Register on line: https://my.bethematch.org/Mahesh
  • Or, text MAHESH to 61474
  • Attend a stem cell drive:
    • 6:30 to 8:30pm – Thursday, March 5 – Shirdi Sai Parivaar, 1221 California St., Milpitas, CA 95035
    • 11am to 3pm – Tuesday and Wednesday, March 10 and 11 – Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley 94720

Please take a few minutes to learn more about how you can help save a life and register as a marrow donor. https://www.aadp.org