Soldiers turn lifesavers off battlefield on Army Day

Two army personnel have become heroes not with weapons but with a life-saving stem cell donation on this Army Day.

Captain Cyrus who joined the Indian Army driven by a desire to serve, registered as a potential stem cell donor with DKMS-BMST, received a life-altering call in December 2023. He was informed that his stem cells were a perfect match for a young patient who needed stem cell transplantation. To donate stem cells, he would have to travel thousands of miles away to Bangalore. Without hesitation, he volunteered, stepping forward to offer a chance at life to someone he had never met.

“When I heard that my stem cells could give someone a second chance at life, there was no question in my mind,” Cyrus shared in a phone interview. “As soldiers, we take an oath to protect our nation and its people. This felt like an extension of that duty, a way to fight for someone’s life on a different battlefield.”

Fezal, a young Indian Army man, also had a similar experience. He registered as a potential blood stem cell donor with DKMS-BMST in 2019. Two years later, in September 2021, he came up as a match for a blood cancer patient. Without a moment’s hesitation, he set out on a strenuous journey, travelling from a remote location in North-East India for six days continuously, which even included a 60km walk, until he finally reached Bangalore to donate his blood stem cells.