Cheng Yen
Tzu Chi created a bone marrow registry, the Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Bank, in 1993 after a young follower of Cheng Yen was diagnosed with Leukemia. Cheng Yen referred to the concept of bone marrow donation as a way to "save a life without harming yourself." This effort to register bone marrow donors from an organization with such massive membership like Tzu Chi caused Taiwan to change its laws regarding organ donations. This registry became a division of the new Tzu Chi Stem Cells Center, which was founded to improve research and treatment capabilities. By 2007 the program had saved the lives of almost 1,500 people in 25 different countries. By 2008, Tzu Chi had registered more than 307,657 bone marrow donors.