The Story : 10% chance of recovery unless toddler gets donor
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On 3rd January 2002, CancerStory.com received a request from Ryan's parents to post an appeal to on its web site for
kind-hearted people to come forward and donate bone marrow to treat Ryan's medical condition. Ryan's story was published
on 27 December 2001 in the Straits Times.
A few volunteers of CancerStory came forward to help but were unsuccessful. One volunteer suggested that Ryan's parents
sought help from Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Program in Taiwan. We conveyed the message and provided Ryan's parents with
the contact details. However, this option was not explored on the advice of Ryan's doctor. Fortunately Ryan's mother was
able to conceive a baby - pinning all hopes on this little angel to provide a successful match for Ryan. Finally, the baby
arrived!
The birth of Ryan's little sister gave him a new lease of life in January 2003. The baby's cord blood was a complete match
for Ryan who is well on the path to recovery after the transplant.
Update on 1 July 2004, please click here to read ST write-up on Ryan's recovery.
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Our initiative
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We were disturbed when we learned that more children and teenagers are diagnosed with leukemia of late. Therefore
we have decided to create this web page to provide an additional avenue for local patients to seek help from Tzu Chi Bone
Marrow Program.
Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Donor Registry was established in October 1993 and has now become the largest Asian bone marrow donor
registry in the world. Unrelated bone marrow transplant was initiated thirty years ago. Though there are millions of donors
registered with the bone marrow registries worldwide, Asian patients rarely find a match with all these donors. With Tzu Chi
Bone Marrow Donor Registry, more Asian patients are able to find a donor with matching bone marrow. Indeed, the first bone
marrow transplant was performed on a Singaporean on 26 September 1994 as posted on
Tzu Chi's web page.
If you wish to know more about Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Program, please visit their web site at
http://www.tzuchi.org/global/services/bone.html
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Appealing for Bone Marrow Donor
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The Bone Marrow Donor Programme - Singapore, Web site : http://www.bmdp.org
Bone Marrow Donation - Tzu Chi, Web site :
http://www.tzuchi.org/global/services/bone.html
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Online resources for Childhood Leukemia
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Childhood Leukemia Center has been created especially for parents and others caring for children with leukemia or other
cancers. Its material has been excerpted or adapted from the book entitled Childhood Leukemia : A Guide for Families,
Friends, and Caregivers by Nancy Keene.
Web site : http://www.patientcenters.com/leukemia
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New Hope for Leukemia Patients
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If you need both financial and emotional support, please visit the website of Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation at www.llf.org.sg
As reported in the Straits Times of 7 July 2005, Singapore's first cord blood bank is up and running here, and has already stored 300 samples from babies' umbilical cords.
It aims to save patients who suffer from blood diseases such as leukaemia or severe anaemia. Cord blood is a rich source of "blank" immature cells that can become all sorts of blood cells - red, white or platelets - allowing them to replace diseased ones in patients suffering from blood cancers and severe blood disorders.
Using them is a favoured alternative to traditional bone marrow transplants, because the stem cells are less likely to attack the body. Also, getting the right match does not need to be as stringent as with bone marrow.
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New source of stem cells
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It was reported in the Straits Times of 5 July 2005 that a local company, CellResearch Corporation finds a new source of stem cells. By mining the umbilical cord lining, it harvests cells which are versatile enough to transform into many of the body's cells.
Each umbilical cord lining which is 30-50cm long, could provide millions of stem cells, a rich harvest, especially since it would otherwise be discarded.
Updated on 11 July 2005
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