27-year-old Mumba Margaret from Zambia with doctors at KIMS. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
A 27-year-old nurse from Zambia who was diagnosed with an aggressive blood cancer has recovered after undergoing a stem cell transplant and survived a series of life-threatening complications at Hyderabad’s KIMS Hospital.
Mumba Margaret was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a rapidly progressive cancer of the blood and bone marrow, in September 2023 and was advised to undergo a bone marrow transplant. She sought specialist care, traveled to Hyderabad and was admitted to hospital.
Before the transplant could be performed, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. During treatment, the leukemia relapsed, necessitating another round of chemotherapy. She also developed multiple infections and remained hospitalized for nearly 40 days, the report said.
Narendra Kumar Thota, head of the Department of Hemato-Oncology and Stem Cell and Marrow Transplantation, said that on June 19, Ms. Margaret underwent her first stem cell transplant. In the post-transplant period, she developed extremely rare complications, including severe dyselectrolytemia, a condition where critical levels of electrolytes in the blood rise to dangerous levels, posing risks such as seizures, kidney failure and cardiac instability.
“At one stage her condition worsened and she experienced more than seven cardiac arrests. Each episode required immediate resuscitation, with intensive care, cardiology and stem cell transplant teams working in close coordination to revive her,” he added.
Published – 20 Dec 2025 20:49 IST
