Thalassemia

Raj and madhuri were recently married and soon to have their first child. Raj was a very loving hubby and so took all the care of his wife during pregnancy. Raj was a sweet guy since his childhood. He was excellent in studies as well as sports activities and so he was the favrouite of his teachers as well as his class mates. And the same applies to madhuri. She was talented as well.

They had their first baby a very normal delivery. The kid was loved by everyone. He was the darling of the family and even the neighbors. It was after about 3 to 4 months of the birth did the child started getting irritated kept crying the whole day didn’t eat properly. Raj and madhuri discovered this change in their childs behaviour. They took the child to a doctor.

Doctor informed them that their child was a thalassemia major.

Raj and madhuri were confused at that moment. They thought it was just another normal disease that their son has got. And asked the doctor for what was supposed to be done now. Which medicines to give and what precautions to take.

That was the time when doctor told them to listen properly, he said, “ your child is a thalassemia major. Means from now on to the rest of this life he is needed to be given blood every 15 days or he will die. And because of the blood given, iron will be accumulated in his body which has to be removed or else it would also lead to the death of the child.”

Raj and madhuri were completely shocked. How can this happen to their child? They both were perfectly normal they never had any such thing then how can this happen to their child?

The doctor explained that, this might have happened because they both were thalassemia minor. Thalassemia minor is not a disease or anything wrong. Thalassemia minor is the normal human. You wont even realize if you are a thalassemia minor.

What happens is. If you are a thalassemia minor and your spouse is also a thalassemia minor then you have 25% chance of giving birth to a thalassemia major child. A pre needle test is done when the girl is 2months pregnant to check weather the child is safe or not and if he is found to be a thalassemia major, well then the doctor himself will recommend you to abort the child. And if either of you is thalassemis normal then the child has no threat of getting thalassemia minor.

Thalassemia is a thing that doesn’t change for your whole life. Ie if you are tested thalassemia normal now then you will be a thalassemia normal for the rest of your life. No matter what you do no matter who you get married to or you smoke or you have sex with anyone else you will always be a thalassemia normal.

What I want to conclude is, raj and madhuri made just one mistake they never tested themselves for thalassemia, if just either of them would have been aware then their child would have been able to live a normal life like you and me. Where as now, he has to be depended on the blood bank for blood and he has to get an injection every day and sleep with a needle inserted in his stomach to remove the iron.

If raj and madhuri would have done one simple test in their whole life, then they would have been able to give a normal life to their own child.

Its just that, one simple test once in your life and you will be able to give your child a very normal life.

The percentage on thalassemia patients are increasing so we need to get aware about it. Even I didn’t know anything about it. But it was yesterday when I attended a social awareness and a social service activities with some of my friends did I realize this. And I thought it was my duty to let as much people know about it and make the aware that do a test for thalassemia.

And as I am writing this… I would also like to tell people please donate blood. It is equally important.