Media Release
Mangaluru, Jan 16: Cherish John Pinto (Reg No 224816), a student of III BCA, and a Cadet of NCC Army Wing of St Aloysius (Deemed to be University) underwent a procedure to donate blood stem cells to a needy cancer patient through the DKMS BMST Foundation India - NGO based at Bengaluru.
Cherish had registered himself for this type of donation 2 years ago by doing HLA (human leukocyte antigen) test. The whole process of donation took 6 days and later one week of recovery from the procedure.
In November 2024, Cherish has received a call from BMST, and he was informed that he was a match for a cancer patient. This is an incredibly rare occurrence, often referred to as a "one-in-a- million" chance. The team at DKMS BMST explained the process in detail and asked if he was willing to proceed. After consulting family doctors and cancer specialists, who assured him of the safety of the procedure and he wholeheartedly agreed for the same.
In December 2024, he underwent a medical examination to confirm his eligibility to donate blood stem cells. Few days later, his reports have shown that he was fit for the donation. In January 2025, he traveled to DKMS BMST Donation Center in Bengaluru for the final procedure.
The entire process took six days. For the first four days, he received G-CSF injections to increase the stem cells in his bloodstream. On the fifth day, the donation was carried out a safe and straightforward procedure that lasted about 3.5 hours. During the procedure, the team took utmost care of Cherish and prioritized his overall health.
During the process, he experienced minor, short-term side effects such as back pain and fever, which he was informed well in advance; the overwhelming joy on his face was unimaginable.
Cherish says that he is deeply grateful to Almighty God for the blessings for the rare opportunity for him and making the procedure successful. He extends his heartfelt thanks to the Hon’ble vice-chancellor, Dr Praveen Martis, SJ, Capt ANO Shakin Raj, St Aloysius NCC Army Wing of the University, his lecturers, his family and friends for the support and guidance extended to him throughout this process. He urges and encourages the student community to register for an HLA test which is a small step that could mean the world to someone in need.
Cherish John Pinto is a proud son of Ronald Pinto and Juana Gretta Quadros from Ashoknagar, Mangaluru.
It is a proud and gratifying moment to know that a student makes an inspirational mark by going beyond his self and offers himself for the good of others, who are in dire need in sync with the institutional vision and mission of forming men and women for and with others ensuring that this spark will enkindle many more fires enabling persons in need.
The university applauds, appreciates and recognizes this inspirational gesture of the cadet responding positively to the call for donation and successfully completing it. This is love in action.