Chennai: Blumen Rajan, 28 years old track athlete, a state record holder, a university gold medallist and a national level silver medallist in the 400m sprints has been diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML), a type of blood cancer for the second time. As per the doctors, only stem cell transplant could help him fight cancer, costing around Rs 40 lakh.
Diagnosed with CML in 2014, Blumen fought back and came back to normal life. But the relief was short-lived as cancer hit him a second time. Usually treatable by the aid of stem cell transplant, a perfect match of bone marrow for transplant is needed against the disease.
“Undergoing treatment at Tata Medical Center of Kolkata, Blumen is still in need of a match for bone marrow to undergo a transplant. If a match is not found, doctors will proceed with chemotherapy. Even after numerous efforts, stem cell transplant was not possible, mostly because people were not aware of stem cell donation,” said Carolyn, kin of Blumen Rajan.
People from different walks of life, including artists, musicians, students, and sports-persons have initiated a campaign to support Blumen and his battle against cancer. A signature campaign to spread awareness of cancer and raise funds for Blumen’s treatment was held on Saturday in Velachery.
Actor Aree, along with other celebrities including director Balaji Mohan, actress Poorthi Pavi participated in the campaign and talked about the need for awareness on various aspects of cancer, including changed lifestyle, organ donation, diagnosis and treatment required. Actors Dulquer Salman and Vikram Prabhu have tweeted to support his cause.
