Soldier’s stem cell donation offers second chance at life

Bengaluru: On the occasion of Republic Day, DKMS Foundation, India, highlighted an inspiring act of service by Indian Army Havildar Sukhwinder Singh, who saved a life by donating his blood stem cells to a patient suffering from a life-threatening blood disorder.

The initiative underlines how timely stem cell donation can offer patients a crucial second chance at life. Singh had registered as a potential donor in 2019 during a leukemia patient appeal drive and remained part of the DKMS registry for more than six years.

In December 2025, he was identified as a perfect match for another patient in urgent need of a transplant and agreed to donate without hesitation.The gesture draws attention to India's acute donor shortage, with only 0.09 percent of eligible citizens registered as stem cell donors despite the growing burden of blood cancers and thalassemia.