“God Sent Sara to Help Her Sister” – Ala’s Journey to Recovery with Cord Blood Stem Cells
Ala’s father says:
“We had only ever heard about cancer through social media or on TV. We never imagined that one day we would be facing it ourselves.”
Mr. Salari recalls the early days after Ala’s diagnosis:
“We were in shock and deeply hopeless. We didn’t know anything about the disease.”
No Donor Match Could Be Found
He continues:
“We went through about a year of chemotherapy, but Ala’s doctors told us that chemotherapy alone would not be enough. She needed a stem cell transplant. We searched extensively for a donor match. A 9-out-of-10 match was found in the UK and Turkey, but when we sent the request, there was no response — no cooperation.”
“God Gave Us Sara as a Gift to Save Her Sister”
Ala’s father explains that around the same time Ala was diagnosed, they found out his wife was pregnant again.
“Before Sara was born, we searched global registries constantly, even traveling to Tehran monthly to see if any new compatible donors had been added to the list — but no match was ever found. By November 2021, we had lost hope in finding a match. We stopped traveling to Tehran and simply waited for Sara to be born. She was our only hope.”
Sara was born on December 31, 2021.
Ala’s mother shares:
“We found out about Ala’s illness on April 29, 2021, and Sara was born on December 31 the same year. We hadn’t planned to have another child — but God had other plans. Sara was meant to help her sister.”
A Perfect Match — Against All Odds
She continues:
“The HLA compatibility tests were done right after Sara’s birth, and exactly twenty days later, the Royan Cord Blood Bank contacted us. The expert told me that Sara’s cord blood was a perfect match with Ala’s. I felt something indescribable. We had been told that only a 25% chance existed for a full sibling match. She was our only hope, and we never imagined God would grant us such a beautiful outcome. I fell to the ground in gratitude and prayed.”
The mother adds:
“My two daughters don’t even look alike — we never imagined they would be a full genetic match.”
Doctors Had Always Emphasized Cord Blood Storage
Ala’s mother says:
“Every time we went in for chemotherapy, the doctors reminded us to make sure we stored the new baby’s cord blood. The Royan office in Yazd was extremely cooperative and persistent in following up on the results and making sure everything was handled quickly.”
Sister-to-Sister Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant
Ala’s father describes the transplant process:
“When Dr. Amir Ali Hamidieh, Ala’s doctor, saw the HLA results, he smiled and said, ‘This is good.’ That was an unforgettable moment.”
He continues:
“The stem cell transplant using Sara’s cord blood was performed on May 17, 2022, and Ala was discharged on June 5. Her white blood cell counts gradually started to rise.”
High-Quality Cord Blood Storage Saves Lives
Dr. Morteza Zarrabi, Managing Director of the Royan Cord Blood Bank, explains:
“Successful treatment using cord blood stem cells requires a highly coordinated chain. The cord blood collection specialist must extract the maximum volume with absolute sterility. Then, the sample must be safely transported to the lab while maintaining a cold chain. Our processing experts isolate the stem cells with precision so that the final sample is ready for cryopreservation and transplant.”
He adds:
“Royan stores cord blood samples at the highest quality to ensure they’re available for life-saving transplants when needed. This teamwork restores the health of children like Ala and many others. God places both trials and blessings in our path — perhaps so we learn to appreciate life more deeply.”