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Identical Twins with Mediterranean Anemia Receive Bone Marrow Transplant from the Same Donor
In Diyarbakır, 3-year-old identical twins diagnosed with Mediterranean anemia in the womb have regained their health after receiving a bone marrow transplant from the same donor 8 months apart.
Mizgin and Ahmet Çalın, a couple living in the Bismil district of Diyarbakır, found out they were going to have twins in 2017. During routine prenatal checkups, the twins were diagnosed with Mediterranean anemia.
The twin brothers, named Özgür and Barış, began fighting the disease as soon as they opened their eyes to the world. The twin babies, whose health was closely monitored, started receiving blood transfusions at just 9 months old.
The family, who had been seeking a cure in Diyarbakır for a while, applied to the Health Sciences University (SBÜ) İzmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital for their babies' treatment.
After his examinations, Pediatric Hematology Specialist Prof. Dr. Barış Malbora decided that the brothers needed a bone marrow transplant. During this period, the twins were treated with medication and blood transfusions. The family, who moved from Bismil to Izmir to help their babies cling to life, began waiting for a suitable donor.
First, a search was made for a donor within the family, but when no results were found, an application was made to the Ministry of Health's Turkish Stem Cell Coordination Center (TÜRKÖK).
First Izmir, then Istanbul
Prof. Dr. Malbora, who was closely following the twins' treatment, left Izmir and started working at Yeni Yüzyıl University Gaziosmanpaşa Hospital during this process. Saddened by this news, the Çalık family moved to Istanbul for their children this time.
Prof. Dr. Malbora, who continued Barış and Özgür's treatments in Istanbul, gave the happy news to the family at the beginning of this year. After a suitable donor was found, the twin babies underwent bone marrow transplants 8 months apart.
The twins, who were checked up on in Istanbul for a while longer, regained their health. The mother and father ended their exile and returned to their hometown of Bismil after their babies recovered.
"Our Luck Was That the Brothers Were Diagnosed in the Womb"
Prof. Dr. Barış Malbora, who performed the transplant, told an Anadolu Agency correspondent that Barış and Özgür's health was in a bad state when they were brought to him.
Stating that they fought hard for the twins' recovery, Malbora said, "Early bone marrow transplantation is very important in the treatment of Mediterranean anemia. We know that the success rate of treatment is lower, especially in children over the age of 16. Our greatest luck in this process was that the diagnosis of the brothers, Özgür and Barış, was made while they were still in the womb. The medication and blood transfusion treatments we applied to the brothers bought us time until the bone marrow transplant could be performed."
Prof. Dr. Malbora stated that the mother and father never lost hope during this process and believed that a suitable donor would be found.
Bone Marrow Was Split in Two for the Twins
Malbora, who reminded us that the family waited for a donor for about 2 years, said:
"A suitable donor was found for the twins through TÜRKÖK, and I still can't forget that day. When a suitable donor was found, I decided to apply a different treatment method to the twins. Since our patients were identical twins and due to the shortage of donors, we decided to split the bone marrow we received from a single donor into two to help the brothers regain their health. This is a rarely used method, but we were successful. First, we performed a stem cell transplant on Özgür. After his blood values rose and he regained his health, we transplanted the remaining bone marrow, which we had frozen, to his brother Barış in September of this year. In this way, both brothers regained their health. The positive outcome of the treatment we applied made us very happy."
Malbora added that anyone who gives 3 tubes of blood to the Turkish Red Crescent can be a source of hope for patients waiting for a bone marrow transplant.
"It's a Miracle for Us"
The mother, 27-year-old Mizgin Çalın, said that they went through very difficult days due to their children's illness.
Çalın, who said she cried a lot when she learned that her twins had Mediterranean anemia, stated, "I decided to bring them into the world. The doctors suggested we have another child for the children's treatment, but we didn't have the courage to do that. My children's blood was changed every 3 weeks. It made me very sad to see them sick. A donor was searched for more than 2 years for them to have a bone marrow transplant, but none could be found. My children were treated first in Izmir and then in a hospital in Istanbul. The same donor became a cure for my twins. Our only luck was that my children were identical twins. This is a miracle for us."
The father, 28-year-old Ahmet Çalın, who is a farmer in Bismil, said he was very happy that his children had regained their health and that he wanted to meet the person who gave life to his children after 2 years had passed since the transplant.
"A Touching Letter from the Donor to the Family"
Meanwhile, the Çalın family had emotional moments with a letter that the unnamed donor sent them through TÜRKÖK shortly after the transplant.
In the letter, the donor wrote the following words:
"I received wonderful news. The reason I went and did this was a child. Why? Because children are special, they are pure. Hopelessness can happen to anyone. To me, to you, to him... It finds us in some way throughout our lives. Whether you are very rich or very poor. But to be a source of hope is a different kind of wealth, and if I have attained this wealth, how happy I am.
Be hopeful throughout your life. I am thinking of your happiness, bringing happiness to your family, and the happiness in your home at that moment. I am grateful to God for making me a means to this. Hold on to this life as tightly as a baby holds a finger. Be happy always. Maybe one day you will tell me and my family about this. I am also a father. I have a story to tell my daughter. May you also have a story to tell your children throughout your lives."
Source: Anadolu Agency / Tezcan Ekizler