A bone marrow transplant is the only option for many patients. Leukaemia is one of the most well known diseases that often requires this treatment, but it is not the only one.

Mohammed is 6 years old and at 3 he was diagnosed with a serious and rare disease: Griscelli Syndrome. It is evident that Mohammed is a special child in many ways: he is handsome and clever; he is an albino of Arab origin, and for his short number of years he has been on the point of death 3 or 4 times. However, he has recovered due to the success of a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. Quite a lot in only 6 years...

Mohammed, with Laura and Mateo, leukaemia former patients

It has been a few months since his transplant and we went to meet him at the Hospital Sant Pau in Barcelona, coinciding with a medical consultation.

His father, Mustaffa, told us that the process of the disease was very complicated in many aspects, "we have fallen 1000 times". In addition to the complications derived from the complete failure of the boy's defences, when Dr. Badell told them that he would require a bone marrow transplant, they discovered that his two older siblings, Hanan and Morat, (19 and 18 years old respectively) were not compatible. This situation occurs often, in 3 out of 4 patients that need a bone marrow transplant. Due to this fact the José Carreras Foundation, began the international search for a donor for Mohammed and after several months, they found a German donor.

Mohammed with the football player Rafa Márquez during a presentation of the José Carreras Foundation

"We are very grateful to the Foundation. He has survived the extreme. We were preparing for the worse", says Mustaffa. Hanan, Mohammed's sister smiles with sadness as she remembers the tough moments: "My brother Morat and I have suffered because we were alone in the house. Mum and Dad took turns but they would be with my brother in the hospital far away. But, the most important thing is that now he is ok".

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Find out more about bone marrow donation, HERE