Successful social media campaign has probably saved her life.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Moneet Mann, the young Canadian-Indian woman who has suffered from acute myeloid leukemia since last year, has finally found a bone marrow match.
Mann, called “Money” by her friends and family, began a campaigned entitled “Will You Marrow Me?” earlier this year, to help take registrations and find a potential match to help cure Mann of her debilitating ailment. She was diagnosed on October 11, while she was a student at Lake Head University in Thunder Bay, and has undergone six blood transfusions and chemotherapy treatment in the meantime.
Last week, however, her worries finally came to an end, as she has now found a bone marrow donor willing to help save her life. In a post written on March 31, Mann express gratitude and pure elation at being able to finally put this whole ordeal behind her.
“Today marks the happiest day of my [life], all because someone in this world is a match!” wrote Mann. “I can’t seem to come up with the words right now to express how I am feeling, just [so] grateful, happy, blessed, thankful to everyone who has showed so much love and support and for those who have been getting registered all across the globe!”
The identity of Mann’s donor obviously hasn’t been revealed, but despite her happiness at finding one, Mann cautions that it’s still important to help find donors for everyone else out there going through exactly what she’s been dealing with. Mann will continue to keep ‘Will You Marrow Me?’ alive, so that others can use its resources and donor registration list to find help of their own. South Asian donors are particularly scarce, and the best match to find a donor is to locate someone who is both the same age group, and from the same demographic.
“I feel so blessed, and hope that all the awareness we have raised does not stop here because there are still so many patients waiting for their match, and I would love for them to feel the same excitement as I am right now!” wrote Mann, in the same Facebook post. “Let’s keep the momentum going, folks!”
And to her anonymous savior, Mann wrote this touching note: “To my donor: Thank you so much. I don’t know where in this world you are, but when the day comes that I can contact you, I will travel near or far to show you just how much happiness you have brought into my life.”
Once her treatment is done, Mann will most likely head back to school, and complete her degree.