Dear Seme,
I was happy to hear that you are asking about a friend with Thal major. I had the transplant in Sep. of 1999 and I have not had any transfusions since then. I no longer need transfusions. My hemoglobin stays at about 11.4 on its own. My doner was my younger brother. He was a carrier to the Thal trait. I am now just a carrier also. I was 18 years old when I had the transplant done. There are risks and possible complications as well. If you would like I would love to talk via e-mail about anymore questions you might have. Also you can tell me what age your friend is and if he or she has any siblings and stuff like that.