Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Five months after leaving Trinidad for India in the hope of beating cancer, 20-year-old Dinesh Gadraj has died after undergoing a bone marrow transplant, leaving his family devastated and his mother struggling to come to terms with his death.
Gadraj, a former student of Shiva Boys Hindu College, had travelled to India for specialised treatment after battling high-risk B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, which had relapsed and become resistant to standard treatment.
His mother, Linda Gadraj, said yesterday that her son’s death still felt like a dream.
“It feels like a dream. I really thought he would have recovered,” she said.
Gadraj had received financial assistance to travel to India, where he underwent further medical assessments and treatment.
His family had been hoping that the specialised care would give him another chance at life after doctors in Trinidad and Tobago told them there was little more they could do locally.
In March, Dinesh travelled to Apollo Hospital in India with his mother and brother, Damian, where specialists reassessed his condition.
Doctors had recommended CAR T-cell therapy, an advanced form of immunotherapy used to treat certain relapsed blood cancers. When the treatment successfully allowed him to go into remission, doctors proceeded with a bone marrow transplant.
Linda said that although her son did not survive, she remained grateful to the people who rallied around the family and helped them during his battle.
Dinesh’s battle had drawn support from members of the public, who helped the family raise funds for his treatment overseas.
The Ministry of Health had also contributed $100,000 towards his treatment, while an online fundraiser had raised more than US$3,400. The family is now preparing for his funeral arrangements.
