Doctor donates marrow to girl in US
18/10/2005 10:57
Shanghai Daily news
A doctor from eastern China donated his bone marrow yesterday in the hope of
helping an 8-year-old American girl with a potentially deadly blood
disease. Wang Lin, a doctor from Zhejiang Province, underwent a procedure to
have some of his bone marrow removed at Beijing's Dongpei Hospital to help treat
Kailee Wells, a Chinese-born American citizen suffering from aplastic
anemia. Wells' family has been searching for a donor since Kailee fell ill
three years ago. Wang donated blood in May and was told in August that a
survey of 30,000 donors revealed he was a perfect match for Kailee, according to
a release from the hospital. Wang "didn't hesitate" to offer his bone marrow
and even delayed a trip to visit his pregnant wife so he could undergo a
required physical exam, the release said. Wang's marrow was to be sent by
courier to the United States yesterday by a representative from the Children's
Hospital of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Kailee is being
treated. Linda and Owen Wells adopted Kailee from China after her birth
mother left her at an orphanage in Hunan Province. Kailee's illness wasn't
discovered until she developed a 40.5 degrees Celsius fever the night of her
fifth birthday when the family lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aplastic
anemia remains uncommon - about 1,000 new cases are discovered each year in the
United States. While many are cured, Kailee has a severe form of the disease and
needs a bone marrow transplant. Her inability to produce healthy blood has left
her unable to fight off infections. The Wells family was preparing for the
arrival of the bone marrow and expected Kailee to undergo the transplant
procedure on November 7, said Linda Wells last week.
|