Or Yosipov | Bedomaich Chayi | Public Cord Blood Bank

“I want to make it to my bar mitzvah” says Or Yosipov.

Or Yosipov, was only five years old, when he was first diagnosed with leukemia. He fought valiantly like a brave soldier the long battle against the cancer and the side effects the chemotherapy treatments had on him. After three years of stubborn fighting, Or trumped the disease.

Life returned to normal besides for periodic tests at the hospital. One and half months ago, one of the standard tests showed that the cancer was back. Or, today 12 and half years old, returned to the hospital for rounds of exhausting treatment he had hoped to forget forever. Or Yosepov is a fighter and most of all wants to make it to celebrate his upcoming bar mitzvah.

His doctors want to strengthen his body and prepare it for a blood marrow transplant, to rebuild his immune system and give him the hope and chance for a healthy new life.
 

Or Yosipov’s story, like Amit Kadosh’s story, is the life story of many patients in Israel and around the world. When there’s no matching family member, they are dependent on the benevolence of stranger donors. Bone marrow registries in Israel have over half a million donor details and no less than 15 million potential donors in the international registry. Unfortunately, for Or, none are a match.

In order to do a transplant and rehabilitate the bone marrow, a high level of matching tissue typing between the donor and the patient is necessary to prevent host versus graft disease – whereby the body rejects the transplanted marrow. Many patients have a difficult time finding a match, especially those from small ethnic groups or mixed parentage.

Bone Marrow Transplantation Department at Hadassa Medical Center in Jerusalem, together with ‘Fight for Life – in memory of Eli Elkobi’ organization, in conjunction with the Israel Mall Association have declared a national donor drive in order to collect blood samples from potential donors willing to donate bone marrow. The drive included 18 malls across the country and 20,000 samples were collected. They will all be entered in the registry and will definitely be a part in saving life.

We all remember the inimitable Amit Kadosh and her fight for life just two and half years ago. Over 70,000 samples were collected then but unfortunately no matching donor was found for her. She later had a cord blood transplant in North Carolina, USA. Half a year ago she was released from the hospital and arrived home with a wide grin and rosy cheeks, back to the warm circle of family and friends.

At the Bedomaich Chayi Cord Blood Bank, we believe that a matching cord blood unit can be found for Or Yosipov! After the previous success with ‘Project Hodaya’: Hodaya Ephraim – of Cochin descent, and her rare tissue type, no matching bone marrow was found. It was then that Bedomaich Chayi Cord Blood Bank in conjunction with MDA, ICBB and 16 Israeli medical centers – initiated Project Hodaya. It succeeded above all expectations! Two cord blood units which matched her rare tissue type were found. Hodaya recently got married!

The cost of the collection, testing and preservation of the unit is NIS 5,000 – a paltry sum when compared to the chance at life for a boy who wants to celebrate his bar mitzvah! Let’s give him his chance to return home to his family and friends and to again enjoy life happy and healthy.

 
There is hope! Hope for Or Yosipov – is in your  hands!