You could be the miracle that somebody with Blood Cancer is waiting for; take a swab and save a life,” said cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar in support of the AAPI Stem Cell Drive. This initiative, led by Dr. Amit Chakrabarty and Dr. Satheesh Kathula, aims to expand the donor pool for Indian patients, who face lower odds of finding a match due to the fact that 70% of patients lack a family donor and HLA markers are ethnicity-specific.
“Hi, you could be the miracle that somebody with Blood Cancer is waiting for. Take a Swab. Save a Life,” the Legendary Cricket Star Sunil Gavaskar, known around the world as an inspirational speaker, philanthropist, and the chairman of H2H Foundation, said in a video post on Instagram, with AAPI’s official logo in the background.
Gavaskar was referring to the STEM Donor Drive by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) initiated in the United States by Dr. Satheesh Kathula, a Hematology Oncologist and the immediate past President of AAPI, during his presidency in 2024. Under the leadership of Dr. Amit Chakrabarty, the current President, AAPI launched the AAPI Stem Cell Drive in India during the recently concluded Global Healthcare Summit in Odisha, India.
Dr. Amit Chakrabarty expressed his “deep gratitude and appreciation to the Cricket Legend, Sunil Gavaskar for rendering his support to AAPI’s Stem Cell Drive, and for his appeal to everyone to come forward to take a swab and save the lives of those who are diagnosed with the deadly blood cancer.”
Dr. Suresh Reddy, a past President of AAPI, who has been instrumental in obtaining the active support of Sunil Gavaskar, said, “The Little Master has been associated with AAPI for several years. During our 40th Annual Convention in San Antonio, TX in June 2022, he addressed the AAPI delegates, describing AAPI members as being part of the greatest profession in the world. During his interaction with AAPI members, Mr. Gavaskar referred to his leadership at the ‘Heart to Heart Foundation’ and how the Foundation is touching many hearts around the world.”
Dr. Sashi Kuppala, Chair of the Stem Cell Drive, who has been leading the AAPI STERM Drive across the United States and India, expressed his “deep gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have come forward to be tested and have committed to be STEM donors with the objective of saving thousands of lives. Thanks to Dr. Amit Chakrabarthy, we successfully launched the project in India.”
Referring to the need and effectiveness of STEM donation, Dr. Meher Medavaram, President- Elect of AAPI, said, “Cell-based therapy as a modality of regenerative medicine is considered one of the most promising disciplines in the fields of modern science & medicine. Such an advanced technology offers endless possibilities for transformative and potentially curative treatments for some of humanity’s most life-threatening diseases.”
Dr. Chakrabarty said, “Stem cell transplants are a vital treatment for blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma HLA markers, which determine donor compatibility, are inherited and vary by ethnicity. I’m thankful to our local AAPI Chapter leaders, members and volunteers across the nation who have initiated and are spearheading the Stem Cell Registration in India and the United States, joining hands with the national AAPI in our efforts in creating awareness and enrolling more youth and adults to be part of this noble mission.”
This noble initiative for Stem Donors was launched in 2024 under leadership of AAPI’s immediate past President, Dr. Satheesh Kathula. Recognizing this urgent need, AAPI partnered with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), the world’s largest stem cell registry—in 2024 to launch a unified, nationwide campaign.
“Patients of Indian ethnicity are more likely to match with Indian donors—but the existing donor pool is alarmingly small. Until now, families have had to organize donor drives independently, while also coping with the emotional and medical toll of a cancer diagnosis,” Dr. Kathula said. Stem cells are one of the treatment options for certain types of cancers. HLA typing, based on which stem cell donors and patients are matched is ethnicity specific. Indian patients have higher chances of matching with Indian donors. Unfortunately, Indian donor pool is very limited, making it difficult for patients to find a proper match. Moreover, until now, patients and their families are doing these drives on their own to find the match in addition to dealing with the diagnosis. There has been no unified push to increase the Indian donor pool.
Mobilizing Communities Across the U.S.
Since November 2024, AAPI has organized drives across several cities in the United States and India, with the active support from the local high school and college students. AAPI provides volunteer certificates to the students who participate in the drives. Dr. Hetal Gor, Chair of AAPI BOT, emphasized the need for commitment. She said, “You could be someone’s only match—their only hope. Registering is a serious promise, but the donation process is safe and complication-free.”
Expanding the Effort to India
Under the leadership of Dr. Amit Chakrabarty, AAPI President this year, AAPI launched the AAPI Stem Cell Drive India during the Global Healthcare Summit in Odisha, with hundreds of students and faculty registering to be Stem donors. AAPI has partnered with the Global Association of Indian Medical Students, and DATRI, the stem cell bank in India.
Dr. Krishan Kumar, Vice President-Elect, while highlighting the disparity, said, “70% of patients lack a family match. For Indians, the odds are even lower due to the limited donor pool.” Describing the process, he said, “Registration is simple. Scan the QR code, fill out your details, and return the cheek swab kit. Your HLA data will be stored securely.”
Dr. Seema Arora, Secretary, described the donation logistics, stating, “If matched, you’ll provide blood samples locally. Travel may be required, but all costs are covered. The process takes 20–30 hours over 4–6 weeks.”
Dr. Soumya Nerevetla, Treasurer, in reinforcing the impact of Stem Donors on saving lives, said, “Finding a match is especially difficult for South Asians. Every donor helps save lives.”
Dr. Sashi Kuppala pointed to the “tremendous response to this initiative from the AAPI members and the wider Indian community. Now, with the support from Cricket Legend, Sunil Gavaskar, AAPI will be able to reach millions more, seeking their participation in our Stem Donor Drive.”
AAPI is urging AAPI members, who are influential alumni members of their medical schools, to discuss with their respective Medical School leadership and stress the importance of organizing stem cell drives. “We can do drives at your medical school collaboratively. They just need to announce the drive to the students. AAPI will take care of other logistics. Every registration gets us closure to our objective that no Indian should die anywhere in the world due to non-availability of stem cells.”
For more information or to organize a drive, contact: Sashikuppala@yahoo.com Learn more at: www.aapiusa.org
Link to Instagram post by Sunil Gavaskar: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVW_OBtDjFj/?igsh=MnV1b3ZxYnJicmN0
