Unique Surgery in Armenia

A little girl named Stephanie, who arrived from Nigeria, celebrated her 5th birthday at the Yolyan Hematology Center. She underwent an unprecedented surgery for allogeneic stem cell transplantation to overcome sickle cell anemia.

She seemed surprised by the visiting camera; she feels more comfortable speaking into the public microphone, trying to say hello in Armenian, reports 1lurer.am.

The doctor who worked tirelessly with Stephanie noted that she had not received many blood transfusions in her home country to fight against the anemia that clogs small blood vessels, and the transplant went smoothly.

“Her condition has been satisfactory,” said Lusine Krmoyan, a pediatric hematologist at the Yolyan Hematology Center. “Of course, she had fever and had deep leukopenia, which was expected, but it went smoothly.”

Karen Meliksetyan, the therapeutic deputy director of the Yolyan Hematology Center, mentioned, “About 200 ml of stem cells were collected, which were injected into the children on the same day. No complications were observed during the surgery for both.”

These clips are from the operating room featuring a one-year-and-eight-month-old girl from Cameroon named Manuel. She also has sickle cell anemia inherited through genes. In African countries, parents undergo medical checks before marriage to ensure they are not carriers of diseases, but genetically transmitted anemia is often found there.

“Since birth, my little one suffered from accompanying illnesses due to this disease. Then we found help and ended up in Armenia. Now my daughter is singing, dancing, and eating, while my 12-year-old son, who was her donor, doesn’t even want to leave here. He says, 'You guys go; I will stay,'” said Caroline Fauda Sila from Cameroon.

Dr. Lawrence Faulkner, a pediatric hematologist who has dedicated 27 years to the field and has created a network for bone marrow transplantation in developing countries, also arrived in Yerevan to carry out this unique surgery.

“I’ve been collaborating with the Yolyan Hematology Center for a long time to help children live,” said Faulkner. “I aim to work with your doctors for a few years to perform allogeneic transplants from one donor to another. The entire process was carried out by our Armenian team, and I was there to offer my advice. I’m happy with the results and will be returning to Italy today.”

Thanks to pilot programs with the City of Smiles, Cure2Children foundations, and the Ministry of Health, children have been saved. The hematology center assures that Stephanie's and Manuel’s successful surgeries will prove that although this disease does not occur in Armenia, patients will not have to go abroad for allogeneic transplants. Surgery here is expected to be 2-3 times cheaper, which will allow for the development of medical tourism.

By the time the pilot program concludes, the visiting Stephanie already feels at home and doesn’t want to part with the microphone.