From: npchen@bohr.physics.purdue.edu (Nien-Po Chen)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.taiwan,soc.culture.hongkong,soc.culture.china
Subject: For Wen Wen-Lings
Date: 23 Nov 92 16:22:32 GMT
Followup-To: soc.culture.taiwan
Organization: Purdue University Physics Department

Hi netters,

I got the following message from my local Chinese Students Club.  I think 
posting here may get more responses.

Chen, Nien-Po		npchen@physics.purdue.edu
11/23/92

--------------------- Begin of message ---------------------------------------
    The following is a call to your deepest sympathy and courage.
   
    Wen-Ling Wen is a student from Taiwan studying for her PH.D at U. Iowa.
    This March, in a regular blood testing, she was notified of leukemia,
    often called "blood cancer", a disease which is quite hard to treat. 

    The only hope that can possibly save her young life is through bone marrow
    transplant, which has to be done within 12-18 months.  The type of
    marrow to be donated should match hers.  When turned to her 4 brothers/
    sisters for possible matches, sadly none completely mathched.  She turned
    to Taiwan's people for help.  But, unfortunately, under current law, even
    if a possible match is found, she will not be able to receive it because
    only donors who are within her "degree-3" blood relation are "legitimate"
    to do so.  So, in the past, Taiwan's patients just waited ... till death.
    (The health official Chang Bor-Ya, after talking with Wen-Ling, decided to
    order a modification of related laws to bring more patients their last
    hopes. ) Actually, Taiwan still doesn't have a marrow donors databse, which
    stores the DATA about the donors' blood tissue types.  Through regular
    serach of the database,hopefully, possible matches will be found.  However,
    the odds were quite against the patients -- only roughly 30 percent of them
    ever found possible donors.  For the others, the end result was death.
    
    So, she returned to US for help. After learning her case, the university and
    the Chinese Student organization(s) publicly solicited donors.  The Chinese
    community and other ethnic groups responded immediately -- they got over
    350 persons registered to test the blood, a first step in becoming a donor.
    ( A touching story was when the students went to xerox the posting material,
      the company refused to charge them.. )  The Buddhist Compassion Relief
    Tzu-Chi Foundation, among other organizations, are now working very hard to
    help recruiting donors among the Chinese communitites in US.  One of the
    goals is to help establish a Chinese marrow donors database, hoping that
    future Chinese patients could have better chances to regain their lives, 
    fulfill their dreams/plans.  Indeed, the passaway of a life, a dream, all
    takes away from people a ray of humanity, a hope for a better world.
    The Los Angeles and other people in the US are now particiapting in this
    movement enthusiastically.

    Let's act now to help retain this hope.  Get information from the Nat'l
    Marrow Donor Program(NMDP)as the 1st step.  After having better information
    of marrow transplant, then you make the decision whether to go on to become
    a donor.  Actually, NMDP FULLY RESPECT OUR DECISIONS -- the procedure of
    becoming a donor is as follows: ( roughly, see the free package for detail)

       we answer the answers on the forms sent to you.  If we do not qualify
       as a donor(eg, if we have diabetes, liver problem, etc. ), they thank
       us for this good will. If we satisfy the requirement, then we decide
       if we want to go further -- agree to be tested blood tissue type and 
       have our name entered on the registry.  Having our consent, NMDP will
       arrange for us to test our blood. ( 30 ml, roughly too teaspoons, blood
       will be drawn to identify its tissue type(called the HLA type). )
       IT'S IMPORTANT to remember that NMDP is not at this time asking for our
       FINAL COMMITMENT to donate bone marrow.  They are only asking  to have
       our names and HLA typing information listed on the registry.
       If the NMDP computer shows that we are possible tissue match for a person
       in need of a bone marrow transplant, the second step will involve the 
       collection of more blood for further mathching.  Additional steps may
       include more blood for testing, a medical examination, counseling about
       bone marrow donation, and ultimately, the collection of bone marrow.
       The collection requires brief hospitalization(1 day or so) and a minor
       operation.  It's imprtant to understand that:
       AT EACH STEP ALONG THE WAY, WE WILL BE GIVEN MORE INFORMATION AND THE 
       OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE OR STOP. ( Yes, one may stop even when one is
       known to a match, for various reasons -- illness, the amount of time 
       involved, the risk, or even the fear.  Even in related donor situations,
       families sometimes decide against one family member donating to another.)
       NMDP's participating centers ALWAYS respect the individual decision of
       the matched volunteer. )

    Indeed, having one's bone marrow transplanted into another person's body -
    maybe a 4-year old child - is a miracle of lifetime.  And, it's something
    that's so rare in chances that our life will never be the same, whether 
    that "miracle match" calls or not... 

    For Wen-Ling Wen, and many others, possibly our relatives/friends, let's
    all take the first step. It's a good cause for us all, irrespective of our
    philosopies, genders, educations, religions,...  -- IT'S ABOUT LIVES.  

    For more information, call the following:

        1-800-654-1247   this is the # of NMDP. Ask for the guidance of 
                         Sophie Yang  ( She's probably assigned to take care
                         of the recent stream of Chinese donors. She will tell
                         you which nearest registry center one can get infor-
                         mation package as described above. She speaks Chinese
                         as well. ) ( You may give this number to your friends
                         in other states. )
---------------------------- End of message -----------------------------------
Newsgroups: soc.culture.taiwan