| Courtesy
of Genghis Khan |
 |
By Dr.
Lee Cheng-tao,
Director of Tzu Chi Taiwan Marrow Donor Registry
Translated by Dr. Tan Hun-tong (Singapore)
Photo by Chen Ke-min
Once
again, Taiwan has donated bone marrow to another country. The
difference is that the marrow of a Taiwanese woman, whose ancestors
came from Anhui Province in China, was donated to a blue-eyed
boy of Italian-Greek descent.
"Ring ... ring..." It was Lucia Garbarino
of the Italian Bone Marrow Center, her urgent tone reflecting
her anxiety. A boy of Italian-Greek descent was suffering from
acute leukemia. None of the donors registered at the largest bone
marrow centers in Europe and America had genes that matched the
boy's. As a last resort, the Italian physicians were approaching
the largest bone marrow center for Asians-the Tzu Chi Marrow Donor
Registry.
An unlikely match
The HLA typing (the composition of a human's
white blood corpuscles, which determines whether a transplant
will be rejected)-A2402, A3303; B4001, B5801; DR1501, DR1501-initially
came as a big surprise to me. The homozygous "DR1501, DR1501"
antibodies are common among the Chinese and Greeks. However, "A3303,
B5801" are unique to the Chinese. How could a boy with blue
eyes, blond hair, an Italian father and Greek mother, possess
typically Chinese genes? Could it be that the Italian laboratories
had made an error? Subsequent verification from the Tzu Chi laboratories
confirmed that the typing was correct.
The Tzu Chi Marrow Donor Registry found preliminary
matches among three donors. When the boy's attending doctor received
the news in Italy, he immediately requested the volunteers' blood
samples. It turned out that a perfect match was found only from
the sample of a Ms. Liang from Taoyuan County. She agreed to donate
her bone marrow to save the boy's life.
On the night of August 3, Liang, accompanied
by her sister and a Tzu Chi commissioner from Taoyuan, checked
into Tzu Chi Hospital in preparation for the bone marrow operation
the next day. Liang was a tall, fair beauty with striking features.
What impressed me most was her firm yet relaxed attitude (in contrast
to the nervousness of most other donors).
Common ancestors?
On August 5, Liang and her sister, accompanied
by the Tzu Chi commissioner and me, visited Master Cheng Yen at
the Abode of Still Thoughts. When the Master learned that the
recipient of the bone marrow had Greek blood, she told Liang,
"You yourself look Greek!"
These words made me realize that Liang did
indeed resemble a classic Greek beauty. What a fortuitous turn
of fate this was! A person's genes are contained in the chromosomes
contributed by each parent. From the perspective of human heredity
and history, a match in the bone marrow between donor and recipient
suggests that both the donor and recipient can probably trace
their roots back to the same ancestor.
Liang's ancestry originated from Anhui Province.
According to historical records, many Chinese generals came from
Anhui. One of Liang's ancestors could have been a general who
went with Genghis Khan to conquer Europe more than seven centuries
ago, and brought home a beauty as his wife. The Italian-Greek
boy's ancestors could have been the descendants of Chinese warriors
who married Greek wives. Otherwise, how could the genes of two
people of such different nationalities and races possibly match?
It could well be that this bone marrow donation would reconnect
family ties between both parties.
Look among one's own kind
A person's white corpuscles not only contain
common antibodies, but also antibodies unique to his ethnic group.
Therefore, the chances of finding a marrow donor with matching
genetic makeup are highest among one's own race.
I remember fifteen years ago when I was in
the United States, an Indian chief called the Red Cross Society
headquarters looking for me. He said he needed to see me urgently,
but he gave no reason over the phone. That afternoon, a tall,
rugged-looking man came into my office. He was longhaired, disheveled,
out of breath, and sweating profusely. He grabbed me with his
big strong hands and tearfully said, "Dr. Lee, please save
my daughter."
It turned out that his seven-year-old daughter
was suffering from leukemia. At that time, the American National
Marrow Donor Program had not yet been set up. Although he had
sought medical help everywhere, he was invariably told that his
daughter's marrow make-up was too unique and that it would be
difficult to find a match. Finally, a doctor recommended that
he try his luck with me.
After examining his daughter's HLA type, I
thought it over for a while. "Quickly get all your tribe
members to give blood samples," I advised him. "Then
mail the samples to my laboratory. We will perform the tests for
you free of charge. There is a strong possibility that a suitable
marrow donor can be found."
Very soon, 174 blood samples arrived. Because
the Indians have a tradition of marrying among close relatives,
it was easy to find two donors with marrow that matched that of
the Indian chief's daughter. Thus, the chief's daughter received
a successful transplant and a new lease on life. Ever since then,
every Christmas the Indian chief has sent a picture of his daughter,
a thank-you card, and a box of candy to my laboratory.
There was another case in the state of Maryland.
A twenty-year-old Jewish girl had contracted leukemia, and her
parents organized massive blood test drives throughout the United
States. Over one hundred thousand blood samples were sent to our
laboratory, but no match could be found. Because the girl had
a unique Jewish genetic composition, I suggested that her family
look for donors from their ancestral homeland-Israel. Unfortunately,
bone marrow donation was still very uncommon in Israel at that
time, and few people donated blood samples. A match could not
be found and the girl died two years later.
All people in the world are one family
After bidding farewell to Master Cheng Yen,
I walked along the path at the Abode. As I glanced at the green
hills outside and the clear pond water inside the compound, I
recalled what one of the Italian medical personnel had said as
she left for Italy with the donated bone marrow:
"Dr Lee, today I have truly learned the
meaning of the saying, 'All people within the four seas are family.'
I now hold this container of life-saving bone marrow in my hands,
filled with the love of Tzu Chi members. Now I am going back to
Italy to save that fortunate recipient. Please convey my utmost
gratitude to Master Cheng Yen and the donor. Taiwan is indeed
a beautiful gem of an island. Tzu Chi people are angels of compassion!"
Time and again, marrow donors have given
selflessly. The bone marrow donation program has become a bridge
of love between total strangers and recorded moving verses of
truth, goodness and beauty. The program also serves as timeless
testimony to the Buddha's compassion when he said, "Give
even your head, eyes, marrow and brain to others."
