Death - It’s the inevitable end man must face one day.
Some people will question: so why then should we fear of it?

Many have a lifetime to ponder this question. But for the less fortunate who suffer from leukaemia, finding the right donor for bone marrow is a matter of life or death.

27 year-old James Chim— who was previously diagnosed with leukaemia— today considers himself very lucky to be alive and be able to continue his study at the University of Hong Kong. Having narrowly escaped death several times, James was fortunate to have received a bone marrow donation from a mainland donor in Jiangsu Province through the Bone Marrow Service of the Hong Kong Red Cross. The selfless act has renewed James’ faith in life, and it has given him a second chance.

Leukaemia and other blood-related diseases affect nearly 1,200 people in Hong Kong each year. A bone marrow transplant is one way to effectively treat leukaemia, and we at the Hong Kong Red Cross need you to join us in expanding the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry. The more potential bone marrow donors in the Registry, the higher the chance to be matched for blood disease patients. Together, we can provide leukaemia patients with hope for the future. In fact the cost of blood tests is substantial, unless with your support, the chances of survival for leukaemia patients could not be enhanced. Will you answer our call?

Dear Red Cross Supporters,

We are aware that donating bone marrow can be a frightening experience to some people.
Do you know there are other ways that you can help?

The Hong Kong Red Cross is committed to reaching out to the community. Our range of humanitarian services include special education, youth development programmes, emergency psychological support services, disaster relief and related preparedness projects— to help meet changing needs in society.

As we embark on a new year, we hope that you will respond to our call again:
your kindness will help us plan ahead for our services in 2012.

By donating HK$500 will be helping us to fund blood tests for potential bone marrow donors who have signed up for our Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Your contribution will help raise the odds of a bone marrow match between donors and patients. And to further help leukaemia patients, we plan to expand our donor registry for 5,000 donor profiles in a year’s time.

We also hope to raise HK$3.9 million by then to help us realize our goals in increasing 5,000 donor profiles this year, and ultimately to maintain the level of 100,000 donor profiles in total, as well as support other humanitarian services, i.e.  Youth Health Peer Education Programme, Health Emergency Response Training for Disaster Preparedness.

Your kind donation is the driving force behind our pledge to win the battle against leukaemia.

Please allow me to tell you here about James Chim whose story demonstrates the importance of expanding the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

James Chim, who’s in his third year studying Industrial Engineering Management at The University of Hong Kong, wouldn’t be among us today were it not for his life-changing experience.

His courageous tale began 13 years ago in 1999 while James was vacationing in the Mainland. He remembered how— as a 15 year-old boy at the time— he had caught a cold while on holiday there. Nothing seem to be important at that time, but it was only after he had failed to get well upon returning to Hong Kong and seeking treatment did he discover that something wasn’t quite right: he found yellow patches developed on his face.

Scared for his health, James underwent a blood test from which he found he was anaemic and had a low red blood cell count. Further blood tests revealed that he had contracted a form of leukaemia known as "ALL”.

Long-lasting scars evoking memories of the countless chemotherapy treatments James endured.

"I thought that was it for me. There is usually no hope for those diagnosed with leukaemia.”

Initially overwhelmed with dismay, James accepted the need to undergo chemotherapy to prevent his condition from worsening, surrounded with love and support from his family. Strongly determined not to let his treatment interfere with school, James continued to attend classes while receiving chemotherapy along with regular checkups.

"I felt I needed to do something to help myself, I didn’t want to give up.”

But James was met with disappointing news less than a year later: follow-up blood tests revealed a potential relapse. Saddened yet not willing to be defeated, James bravely confronted that reality— which could not have come at a more busy time: while he had been preparing for his HKCEE. Fortunately, James was saved with help from his little brother, who was a suitable donor for bone marrow.

James successfully sat through his public exam and was on his way toward higher education when he was hit with circumstances suggesting yet another potential relapse. Feeling pain in his lower spine, James underwent an MRI scan which revealed darkened areas on his skin and which also confirmed his worst fears: James needed another suitable donor who could offer him bone marrow. James’ health was deteriorating, but all he could do was wait— and time was running out.

"No doubt it was the darkest phases of my life. I had serious thoughts about giving up on myself, had it not been for my family who supported me throughout.”

With the overcome of his battle against leukaemia, James has decided to repay society upon graduation.

James told us his story in calm and relaxing tone today. Indeed that period in his life was like a roller coaster ride. No words could depict his suffering during the second time relapse which was much worse than the last time. His life could only rely on his little brother’s stem cell though not a direct transplant from him anymore as it would not be succeed for its second time in medical terminology. Now he could wait and find for another suitable donor.

James would be beset with a false alarm after the Hong Kong Red Cross identified a Taiwanese donor who had suitable bone marrow, but was later discovered to be suffering from hepatitis.

It wasn’t until news of a matching donor by way of the Hong Kong Red Cross— a 32 year-old gentleman by the name of Ding Yizhong from Jiangsu Province— that hope finally arrived for James.

"From Mr. Ding’s generosity, I have made certain that I will cherish my second chance in life. I owe him everything and I am forever grateful. I feel connected to him; it’s like I’m his little brother because his bone marrow is now a part of me.”

The bone marrow transplant was a success and prompted James to appreciate life more than ever before. Emerging victorious after a lengthy battle with leukaemia, James has gone through all the terrible side effects of the transplant. Still he finished his secondary education and continued in pursuit of his dream as an industrial engineering student. He was also given a very special treat: James was able to finally meet with the very important person whose bigheartedness saved his life. The pair met each other in August last year, and they are still in touch to this day— thanks to efforts from our team at the Hong Kong Red Cross.

A very special moment between James (left) and his saviour Mr. Ding (right): the pair met in Hong Kong in August last year.

Donating bone marrow was little known in the Mainland until recent years: it wasn’t until 2004 onwards that the procedure was gradually put into practice there. Initially worried that donating bone marrow would be bad for his health, Mr. Ding recalled how he looked up the procedure online and how his family also evaluated his decision to become a potential donor.

"I decided to take part to see if I could offer someone help. In late 2005, I received a phone call from the Hong Kong Red Cross telling me that they’ve found a matching patient in need. There’s no differentiation between helping people in the Mainland or people in Hong Kong. The fact remains: I saved a life!”

James’s story is one of great bravery and patience while Mr. Ding’s sincerity and compassion is what inspires us at the Hong Kong Red Cross.

Will you be the next person to help a leukaemia patient like James?

At present, our Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry holds around 80,000 people.
According to Dr. Lee Cheuk-kwong Consultant of the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, finding suitable bone marrow between donors and patients is an extremely difficult task. "Sadness to say, it’s really like a lottery. Increasing the number of donor profiles would raise the chance of winning this lottery -- that is, a successful bone marrow match.” Making a kind donation will help us make this task easier.

There's also the risk of rejection on the donated bone marrow in the patient’s body. All humans have coated on the surface of their cells human leukocyte antigens, or HLAs. These cell-surface markers are responsible for accepting or rejecting objects which are foreign to the body-- or in the case of leukaemia patients, whether or not to accept donor’s bone marrow. Traditionally, patients and donors must have six groups of HLA match before bone marrow can be successfully donated.

In many developed countries around the world, the advance of technology has given rise to a new standard—it would be better to have eight groups of HLA match before bone marrow to be transplanted.

Besides, having a lower risk of rejection in the patient’s body, this new standard equates to a more accurate match between patients and donors and therefore a better chance of survival for leukaemia patients.

The Hong Kong Red Cross needs your help. Together, we will fight against leukaemia and for the right to live. Our plan is to raise the number of members in our Registry from now 80,000 to 100,000, which will consist of more potential donors of bone marrow and effectively save more lives.

Your kind donation is very important to us. Let’s give leukaemia patients a brighter hope for the future and help them win the battle against the disease. Act today and you could save a life!

Please consider helping leukaemia patients such as James. Donate a gift of HK$500, HK$750, or even an exceptional gift of HK$1,000 to help us fund blood tests and expand the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

Please make your gift now via online or download the donation form, and return to us. Your donation will benefit both patients’ lives like James’ story in this letter, as well as others from our humanitarian services including but not limited to the Youth Health Peer Education Programme, the Health Emergency Response Training for Disaster Preparedness etc.

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

KM Chan
Secretary General
Hong Kong Red Cross