While Nirali has not found a bone marrow match from a donor, she has a cord blood match. Cord blood is donated by willing parents at time of child birth. It usually has enough cell dose to use for transplant in little children. Nirali has found such a cord blood which has been put on hold for her. More information on cord blood donation: http://www.marrow.org/DONOR/Donation_Transplant_Process/The_Donation_Procedure/CB_Donation/index.html We don’t have words to express our gratitude toward our family, friends and so many volunteers who helped us in organizing bone marrow drives across the country and even at some international locations. And special thanks to all of you who have registered to be potential bone marrow donors. You have given hope to many many patients like Nirali. Thank you so much…We are touched that so many of you are worried about her and ask about her health. We will try our best to keep the site updated. Thank you all for your support and prayers.

She is currently at Duke undergoing the prelim tests before her transplant on Xmas eve.

Cord blood is another option. For those having children in the future, it’s something to consider donating, and getting more information on. It saves lives… it really does.

Happy Holidays to all.

Again, thank you so much for calling attention to this. Even I’m not able to help Nirali directly, I’m glad to have been made aware of the opportunity to potentially help someone else equally in need.

A LION IN THE HOUSE follows the stories of five exceptional children and their families as they battle pediatric cancer. From the trauma of diagnosis to the physical toll of treatment, this series documents the stresses that can tear a family apart as well as the courage of children facing the possibility of death with honesty, dignity and humor. As the film compresses six years into one narrative, it puts viewers in the shoes of parents, physicians, nurses, siblings, grandparents and social workers who struggle to defeat an indiscriminate and predatory disease.

it is the most honest piece about childhood cancers that i have ever seen, it is frightfully similar to what i see on a daily basis.. i could not stop tears from flowing…and i can bet most of you will also not have a dry eye… also, on the brownfront, an indian oncologist, Dr. Vinod V. Balasa, who took care of tim woods (one of the patients who unfortunately succumbed to the disease)…

if you have a chance to see it, i urge you to do so… it will bring a lot of insight into the ‘big picture’ of the horrific, ugly, big C–the emotional toll on the patient (when a 14 year old says on camera, he has to drink to numb himself and to forget that he is dying…) to the impact it can have on a family…to financial woes… and other social concerns that arise… the website itself has a lot of information and useful links to those who are interested..

also, please understand/and remember that adults with cancers have similar emotional tolls that they and their families have to deal with…sometimes we are more emotinally entwined with pediatric cases, however have to remember that people our own age to as old as 101 (yes i had a patient that old) suffer as well..

you can also see what you can do to change a lot of the suffering by a prick of a needle and registering into the bone marrow registry… i strongly urge those who are physically able–to register… you really can make a difference…