Xu Haiying is pregnant. And like all mothers-to-be, the 30-year-old Shanghai woman is looking forward to the birth of her baby later this month. But she has a mission to accomplish - "the most meaningful deed in my life," as she put it.
She hopes to become the first to donate her offspring's umbilical cord blood to the city's blood bank, thereby help to save leukemia patients.
"Both me and my husband are aware there are many children suffering from leukemia in the city, and their parents devote all their money and effort to save them," said Xu, who works for a construction company. "Some even give birth to a second child in order to save the sick sibling, despite slim chances of their blood groups matching."
The Shanghai Blood Center and the Shanghai Red Cross will add her donation to their blood bank, which already has 200 samples of umbilical cord blood they have collected for scientific studies.
The blood bank has helped four leukemia patients undergo stem cell transplant in the past two years.
With only two hospitals receiving umbilical cord blood in the city - the Shanghai No. 6 People's Hospital and the Shanghai No. 1 Maternity and Child Health Hospital - Xu is yet to decide on the hospital for her delivery.
"I am not sure whether my baby's umbilical cord blood can help any patient. But one more sample means one more source of hope. If the blood matches a patient in the future, this will be the most meaningful deed I have ever done in my life," she said.
Though she moved to Tianjin City on a job transfer last year, Xu returned to Shanghai last month for delivery because she wanted to donate the umbilical cord blood.
Like bone marrow, umbilical cord blood can also save people suffering from blood diseases like leukemia and cancers of the immune system like lymph cancer, because the key healing component in the bone marrow - the stem cells - can also be found in umbilical cord blood. These cells are available at the birth of every child.
Every year, about 50,000 patients are diagnosed with leukemia in China, with only 1,000 undergoing transplants.
Umbilical cord blood samples can be preserved for up to 20 years in liquid nitrogen.
Doctors are hailing Xu's selfless deed, hoping more donors will come forward. "If there are more people like Xu, there is hope for sick child-ren," said Doctor Chen Jing of Shanghai Children's Medical Center.
"If we can pass the Ministry of Health inspection in August, the local blood bank will get a license and we can run in full swing," said Zhang Jin, a Red Cross official.
(eastday.com May 8, 2002)
