UIC fourth-year Food Science and Technology student, Yao Zihong, became the 11,171st hematopoietic stem cell donor in China on 21 April. After waiting for nearly two months, Zihong successfully donated hematopoietic stem cells to save a leukaemia patient.
Red Cross Society of Zhuhai staff sent Yao Zihong back to school after his donation
In Shantou, his hometown, Zihong donated blood for the first time after reaching 18. After being explained by the volunteer at the blood station, he decided to leave his blood sample and become a volunteer waiting for donation in the China Marrow Donor Program (CMDP). Zihong received a phone call from the Red Cross Society of Shantou on 24 February, asking him whether he would donate his hematopoietic stem cells for a patient that he has been successfully matched with. After hearing the news, he was surprised but also a little nervous. He carefully looked up the specific process of hematopoietic stem cell donation, consulted his friend in the medical profession, and finally decided to donate.
After reconfirming matching and comprehensive physical examination, Zihong went to the General Hospital of Southern Theater Command of Chinese People's Liberation Army in Guangzhou on 14 April. As he prepared to donate, he was hospitalised for five days and injected with a hematopoietic stem cell mobilising agent every day. During the injection of the mobilising agent, due to the proliferation of stem cells, he would feel pain in his low back from time to time. However, he said that the pain was acceptable, and he was taken good care of by doctors during the hospitalisation. Moreover, with the injection of the mobilising agent, he felt that he would soon help the patient, and this expectation supported him those days.
Yao Zihong's certificate of honour and the collected hematopoietic stem cells
On the morning of 21 April, the hematopoietic stem cell collection began. The patient was an adult, and thus needed a relatively large amount of hematopoietic stem cells. As a result, the collection took more than three hours. Zihong mentioned that to ensure the smooth collection, he couldn't move his body throughout the process. However, a group of volunteers took care and accompanied him, and he was grateful for their efforts.
During his hospitalisation, Zihong stayed in the Hematology Department of the hospital. He found that there were still many the hospitalised patients waiting for a donation. He said that he would think of his recipient, whom he has never met before. Zihong sincerely hoped that more patients could get help. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Zihong joined the charity team Haoduoyun, which his Wuhan friends had set up. As one of the 29 volunteers, he raised medical materials in Guangdong for Hubei. Zihong was mainly responsible for sourcing medical materials and coordinating donations. Finally, this charity team donated materials worth 400 thousand to Hubei, including masks, alcohol, medical disinfecting cotton pads, and other urgently needed items.
Material acceptance letter
Zihong wanted to say to the patient he had never met before that it was fortunate for him to make a small decision and save a patient's life with a probability of one in a million. He hopes his modest efforts could help the patient live a healthier and happier life.
From MPRO
Reporter: Xia Meng
Editors: Samuel Burgess, Zhang Fan
