Ashraf Pauses Ramadan Fast to Save a Stranger’s Life!
Mohammad Ashraf Ali [20], from West Bengal, knows he is terrified of needles. Routine blood tests have caused him to black out. Once, watching his pet receive a saline drip, he felt the world tilt beneath him. And yet, this Ramadan, he chose to donate his blood stem cells to a patient he has never met.
Ashraf had registered with DKMS Foundation, India, in 2022, after watching a video by Dhruv Rathee that explained what stem cell donation truly means: that for some patients, a matched donor is the only hope. Years passed. Then the call came. He came up as a match! “I asked myself whether I should go ahead; the answer was immediate: the patient had no one else.”
Ashraf says he resonated with what the patient's family was going through. “My uncle had once been diagnosed with a tumour. In those terrifying days before the results came back, the entire family was shattered. That memory has never left me”, he said.
The stem cell donation day fell during Ramadan, and Ashraf knew he could not observe fast during the holy month for a few days. When asked if that was difficult to reconcile, he didn't hesitate. “For me, Ramadan is about self-discipline through prayers, fasting, reading the Quran, and bringing meaningful changes in my daily life. I believe that self-discipline also includes doing what is right. If you can help save one life, it almost translates to saving entire humankind”, Ashraf added. He was determined to go ahead with the stem cell donation.
He mentioned the discomfort associated with GCSF injections, which included body pain, fever, and headache. Yet, he was determined to go ahead with stem cell donation . He kept returning to one thought: I might be the only person in the world who can do this for the patient. That thought, repeated like a prayer, carried him through.
With his mother firmly by his side, Ashraf gathered his family, addressed their concerns with patience, and won their collective support. Ashraf packed his bags for Bengaluru and signed off with a broad smile, and said, “I finally donated my stem cells.”
How You Can Help
If Ashraf’s donation journey inspired you, you too can register as a potential stem cell donor and help save a life.
All you need to do is check your eligibility and sign up today at https://www.dkms-india.org/register-now
Anyone aged 18 to 55 and in general good health can register as a potential lifesaver. If you're not eligible or you're already registered, check out some of the other ways to get involved in spreading awareness about stem cell donation to help provide second chances at life to people with blood cancer and other blood disorders. Together, we can make a difference.
