Baby Jovie, just 3 months old at the time, had already hovered between life and death several times.
After receiving a bone marrow transplant, Jovie can now see glimmers of hope on the horizons.
You might find bone marrow transplant somewhat remote, or have ever considered being a bone morrow donor yourself. Yet, other than becoming a donor, you can still help saving lives of blood disorder patients in other ways.
Your donation of HK$500 can help us conduct blood tests for potential bone marrow donors. The donors' tissue-typing information kept in the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry can then be used for finding matching donors for patients who need transplants. Expanding the Registry database would mean enhancing the chances of locating matching donors, thus raising the hope of survival for blood disorder sufferers. We hope to receive your gift to support blood tests for potential bone marrow donors, as well as our various humanitarian services this year, including the "5-Star Health 5-Star Home" Community Health Education Project that I will talk about later.
Our sincerest thanks for your trust to the Red Cross in providing a solid foundation to develop and sustain our humanitarian services. Our humanitarian work has never stopped, and we need the community's support to move further and help more needy. We appeal for your kind support so that our services can carry on to help people in need.
Please allow me to share the story of little Jovie Lai… Aged only three-and-a-half years now, she is already a veteran cancer fighter, having crossed the river Styx thrice.
When Jovie was just three months old, her sluggish appearance troubled her mother. Mrs Lai then brought baby Jovie to see doctor. Her blood test result was a bolt out of the blue — her leukocyte index reached 500, some 50 times above the normal level.
Jovie was immediately transferred to the Children's Cancer Centre at the Prince of Wales Hospital. With 95% of her blood containing cancer cells, Jovie's life was hanging by a thread. She needed blood replacement transfusion desperately.
"On one side, doctor transfused blood to Jovie; on the other side, her 'bad blood' was taken out by a syringe. The normal blood transfused in was dark red, yet the blood drained out was pale red. Obviously, the haemoglobin level was extremely low. I then recognised how bad the situation was," said Mrs Lai. It took an hour of emergency transfusion before Jovie's cheeks turned rosy. "I am not a qualified mother. How could I not have noticed my baby's health problem earlier?" Mrs Lai blamed herself.
Three-month-old Jovie was then the youngest, yet most severe patient in the ward. Counting the numbered days for his daughter, Mr Lai recalled, "The doctor sent Jovie's bone marrow sample to Germany for screening. The report indicated that chromosome translocation occurred in her cells, which meant she could not live much longer unless she would have a bone marrow transplant." During her subsequent six-month chemotherapy, doctors strove hard to find her a matching donor.
Little Jovie meets her guardian angel Cathy who lights up her life and brings hope and blessings to her family.
In the path of life, there is always hope around the corner.
Cathy is Jovie's guardian angel, meant to renew her lease on life.
Through the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry under the Hong Kong Red Cross, a local matching donor was found for Jovie. Miraculously, all eight types of antigen for white blood cells between Jovie and Cathy matched 100%. The higher the match, the less likely the recipient would reject the transplant, creating a greater chance for recovery. Your donation of HK$500 can help us expand our Registry database and offer a higher chance for finding matches, thus creating greater hope of survival for blood disorder sufferers.
"It's so fresh, so healthy." Mr Lai recalled their doctor's joyful remark while bringing in a bag of newly donated bone marrow during Jovie's transplant operation. It was then transplanted to Jovie, like conducting a blood transfusion. Thanks to Cathy's selfless donation, the Lais could now see light at the end of tunnel.
Successful bone marrow transplant strengthens cancer-fighting spirit
But Jovie's ordeal did not end with the transplant. Two weeks later, rejection occurred in her liver. Her icteric index was tens times above the normal level. Dropsy made her abdomen swell and fingers and toes stretch, like an awkward frog with a swollen belly and all fours facing up. Having received a bone marrow transplant, Jovie could not tolerate another major operation such as liver transplant. The doctor frankly told the Lais the only two possible ways out: dying from liver failure, or waiting for her liver arteries to recover from clogging on their own. Little fighter Jovie refused to let go. She responded well to the drugs prescribed and her icteric index gradually dropped. Jovie survived the perils.
There is the saying "bad luck always come in threes". Following leukemia and liver failure, another life hurdle awaited Jovie. Jovie's doctor discovered she was suffering from breathing problem, and suggested removing her tonsils. During the operation, she was also found suffering from lymphoid hyperplasia, which, if not removed, might develop into lymphoma. It thus turned out to be a much more complicated operation. After the operation, Jovie was sedated into semi-coma, to avoid her damaging the wound on her throat, and nursed in the intensive care unit. Two days later, Jovie recovered. Knocking down one hurdle after another, the "Iron Girl", as dubbed by her father, could return home for a good rest — at last.
Jovie's mother is so grateful to Cathy and feels blessed with Cathy and Jovie being blood-bond.
Bone marrow donation is not difficult, yet lifesaving for others
Mild-mannered Cathy had no worries about bone marrow donation. Waddling out of the operation room, she only had peace of mind, feeling blessed that she had done something meaningful. "I felt so close to the baby who would receive my bone marrow."
On the other side, Jovie's parents were thinking about their unsung saver, concerned whether he/she felt well after the donation and whether he/she returned home safely. Mrs Lai said her whole family could not have expressed enough how grateful they were to Cathy. "Not everyone is willing to donate fresh blood to help others. Cathy is really great," she said. "We are so glad to see Jovie recovering well, running and hopping around us."Over time, Jovie's major screening proved that she could make full use of Cathy's healthy bone marrow to produce her own blood. "My daughter would not have been able to overcome the battles against serious illnesses if not for the vitality that Cathy's bone marrow conferred. We are so, so grateful to her!"
The Lais and Cathy met face-to-face for the first time under the arrangement of the Hong Kong Red Cross. Prior to that, they sent written encouragement to each other through the Red Cross. Deeply impressed by the gratitude of Jovie's parents, Cathy felt herself blessed for being able to donate bone marrow. "I know it is rare to get a 100% tissue-typing match between a donor and a recipient. Jovie and I must have been tied by destiny."
Jovie's life path so far, though only three and a half years, has been full of extraordinary ups and downs fighting against serious diseases. Fortunately, her parents and the professional medical team have taken good care of her; and she encountered Cathy, her perfect-match donor. Having survived the perils, Jovie can now see glimmers of hope on the horizon. "As long as there is a way, regardless how tough things are, there is hope," said Mr Lai. The parents have only one wish for Jovie: to grow up healthy and in nurturing a kind heart to help others.
Your gift of HK$500 can help enhance such matching odds, and fund the other humanitarian services of the Hong Kong Red Cross. Please help to bring glimmers of hope to more patients. The Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry has helped little Jovie overcome leukemia through the transplant of bone marrow donated by Cathy — an unrelated donor with a 100% match that the Registry was able to identify for Jovie out of an ocean of people. One more donor registered with the Registry would mean one more chance for survival for the terminally-ill. Yet, for each and every potential donor, blood tests for tissue-typing are required so that the information can be recorded in the Registry for future matching. Your generous donation can help support blood tests, donor-recipient matching and verification, liaise with overseas databanks, operation arrangements and donor recruitment promotion. Let's work hand in hand to build up a comprehensive, reliable and sizable bone marrow registry to increase life-saving matches for more people!
First aid workshops for the elderly are organised to empower elderly with first aid knowledge as well as raising their alertness towards accident prevention.
Healthy Home, Healthy Community
Health is more than having no illness and no injury. To maintain optimum health, a healthy lifestyle, healthy diet, healthy mind and healthy home-setting are all important. Since 2003, the Hong Kong Red Cross has launched its "5-Star Health 5-Star Home" Community Health Education Project in the districts of Tai Po, Tuen Mun and Kwai Tsing. In collaboration with cross-sectoral partners in the local community, such as schools, elderly centres, family services centres and district councillors, the project has been advocating the concepts for sustaining a healthy home and a healthy community. We hope that every citizen can have "5-Star Health" by equipping them with knowledge on personal hygiene, community health, prevention against infectious diseases, household safety and first aid skills. We have also established community networks to work on enhancing public awareness about health and safety issues. Our enthusiastic volunteers trained as Community Hygiene Ambassadors have been working diligently to promote various practices for personal and community health and safety to families in different districts.
Tony Shum was responsible for colleagues' occupational safety before his retirement from civil service. After retirement, Tony joined the Red Cross health education activities in Kwai Tsing district. Finding the activities very meaningful, he has participated in the related voluntary services. As a Community Hygiene Ambassador, he helps promote knowledge on health and disease prevention in institutions such as primary and secondary schools and elderly centres. He has also helped introduce the services to the Elder Academy at Lingnan University, at which first aid workshops for the elderly, health talks and basic health screenings were organised. The learning opportunities help empowering the elderly with first aid and health-related knowledge, as well as raising their alertness towards accident prevention.
Health and disease prevention talks on Chickpox and Herpes Zoster at an elderly centre in Kwai Tsing District.
Tony was also able to apply the first aid and health knowledge he learnt to help others. Once, while volunteering at an activity at Lingnan University, he spotted a student feeling unwell whose face turned pale, throwing people around her into a flurry. No one knew how, let alone act, to respond. Without delay, Tony assisted the student out of the crowd to sit down for a rest. After talking with her, Tony believed that she suffered from hypoglycemia and gave her a candy to put in her mouth. With her blood sugar level gradually raised, she soon felt all right. Tony has now been volunteering with the Red Cross for five years.
We sincerely hope that you would respond immediately with a gift to us. Please click here to donate online or download the donation form. Your donation of HK$500, HK$800 or even HK$1,000 can help those in need to receive timely services, including bone marrow transplants for terminally-ill patients like Jovie, community health education promotion like the "5-Star Health 5-Star Home" project, home-based Chronic Disease Management Service for the elderly, emergency response training for disaster preparation, and various humanitarian endeavours of the Red Cross.
Lastly, we express our deepest gratitude for your support. If you have any enquiries about our services, please feel free to send us your feedback at secretarygeneral@redcross.org.hk or at 2802 0016.
Best wishes,
Bonnie So
Secretary General
