Yerevan Resident Donates Bone Marrow Cells to Save Brother’s Life

Facilitated by ABMDR ( Armenian Bone Marrow Donor registry), the Cell-Harvesting Procedure is the 34th in the History of the Organization

LOS ANGELES—Arman Hakobyan, a Yerevan resident, donated bone marrow T cells to help save the life of his brother, a cancer patient currently undergoing treatment in Germany.

Arman Hakobyan was identified by the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry as a perfect bone marrow match for his sibling, who suffers from a life-threatening illness. The harvesting of the donor’s bone marrow T cells, facilitated by ABMDR ( Armenian Bone Marrow Donor registry), was performed in the Armenian capital, with the intention of using them for an urgent T cell transplant that could potentially save his brother’s life.

The painless, non-invasive harvesting of cells from the donor was the 34th such procedure in ABMDR’s history. As soon as the harvesting was completed, the donated cells were flown to Germany with the help of a special courier. Present at the harvesting procedure were ABMDR President Dr. Frieda Jordan, Executive Director Dr. Sevak Avagyan, and Medical Director Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan, among other lab-staff members.

ABMDR executive staff with the courier from Germany

“Our 34th harvesting, the first this year, is a wonderful milestone,” said Dr. Frieda Jordan. “This is what ABMDR’s life-saving mission is all about. It’s what we, our organization’s volunteers, supporters, patients, and their families, across the globe, tirelessly work for and look forward to.”

Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 31,000 donors in 33 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 33 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call 323.663.3609 or visit the website.