“After receiving a bone marrow transplant, every drop of blood and every blood cell in my body carries the love of Tzu Chi and the love of the bone marrow donor.”
On October 7th and 8th, the Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Stem Cell Center celebrated its 30th anniversary at Hualien Jing Si Hall, in eastern Taiwan. Thirteen recipients from around the world came in person to express their gratitude to their lifesavers and extend their deepest respect to all bone marrow donors and long-term dedicated volunteers.
Tzu Chi's advocacy for bone marrow donation has reached its 30th year. As of the end of August, Taiwan had over 460,000 registered volunteer donors. More than 68,000 patients seeking a match have been recorded. To date, 6,518 bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplants have been successfully completed, benefiting patients in 31 countries.
Among the recipients, the oldest is 71 years old, having received the transplant at the age of 64. The youngest is only 10 years old, and two others underwent the procedure at the age of 4. The donors have an average age of 34.6 years old. They come from diverse backgrounds, including doctors, nurses, English teachers, and chefs specializing in culinary arts.
One of the transplant recipients is from Vietnam -- Li Wen Ren (黎文任). He came to Taiwan as a migrant worker seeking to improve his family's financial situation. Tragically, he developed acute leukemia just eight months into his job. In 2016, he received a hematopoietic stem cell transplant from his brother but experienced a relapse, putting his life at great risk. He faced repatriation to Vietnam, with limited economic support at home. Tzu Chi's social workers were notified and initiated an outpouring of love and support. Tzu Chi volunteers helped Li with labor and health insurance, arranged for his elder brother to care for him, and eventually found a successful match in the Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Database; this led to a life-saving transplant surgery. Li Wen Ren, now a survivor, pledged to continue to follow Master Cheng Yen's teachings and engage in volunteer work, in Taiwan or Vietnam.
In order to meet his life-saving donor face to face, Li Wen Ren, his family, and dedicated volunteers braved the challenges posed by Typhoon Koinu and successfully arrived in Taiwan. The caring volunteers who accompanied Li felt like his family in Taiwan; they even rented a van from Tainan to show their support.
On meeting his donor Shih Xie-Ju (施協局), Li embraced him with great emotion. He said: "I have Shih's blood in my veins, and, although he appears older than me, in my heart, he's like a brother. We are brothers." Li's father expressed profound gratitude to Shih; he emphasized how fortunate they were as a family to receive Shih's donation, which has allowed their son to be reborn. He struggled to find the words to express their gratitude beyond simply saying, "Thank you."
Shih Xie-Ju, the donor to Li Wen Ren, works in Taiwan's Coast Guard and was encouraged by his father, also a Tzu Chi volunteer, to participate in the bone marrow donor registry. What seemed like a small gesture at the time turned out to be life-saving 14 years later. Shih was surprised to receive the matching notification call since he had changed his phone number and moved from his original address. Yet, Tzu Chi volunteers managed to locate him, a truly remarkable occurrence.
As the day of the donation approached, Shih became more conscious of his health and made greater efforts to stay in the best possible condition through regular exercise. Shih told Li: “To be able to help you in this vast sea of people is a great stroke of fate. I also wish for a brighter future for your life.”
A Jing Si Aphorism says: “Embrace all, even those who are not related to us by blood, and feel their suffering as our very own.”
Join Tzu Chi. Let us spread Great Love to the needy.
To learn more about Tzu Chi Stem Cells Center, click the link.
Story by Liu Zhen-Zhen and Jiang Jia-Yu
