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US girl saved by Chinese donor

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-21-2007 09:34

Kailee Wells, a 10-year-old girl who survived aplastic anemia thanks to a successful bone marrow transplant last year, holds a calendar presented to her by donor Wang Lin (R), a doctor from a Zhejiang Hospital December 20, 2007. [China Daily]

An adopted American girl who was dying from bone marrow failure has survived a successful transplant thanks to her Chinese donor. She has come to China, with her family, to meet her donor at a ceremony held in Beijing.

Who would have thought that such a lovely girl had just survived such a deadly disease?

A big hug is the only way to express feelings at the moment, as Kailee Wells is embraced by her donor Dr. Wang Lin.

Kailee Wells said, "Xie Xie Ni, Dr. Wang Lin for giving a part of your life to me."

Dr. Wang cannot control his emotions after seeing 10-year-old Kailee's miraculous recovery.

Dr. Wang Lin said, "To see this beautiful and spirited little girl standing before me today, I feel so relieved, so happy."

Born in the central province of Hunan, Kailee was found abandoned in Changde. She spent a year in an orphanage before being adopted by the Wells family in New Mexico.

At 5, her bone marrow stopped producing red and white blood cells. But her family never gave up hope of finding a perfect match, and after two unsuccessful transplants, Kailee finally had a third, which was successful.

Kailee's mother Linda Wellls said, "Well last Christmas, we were all very worried about Kailee, and we were not sure at that time whether she would be here this year with us, and it is unbelievable really, to think back then and now - and here we are in China, in Beijing with this wonderful celebration and meeting Dr. Wang Lin. It's a true blessing."

China's bone marrow donor registry has grown to more than 700,000, thanks to increased awareness of the procedure by Chinese citizens.

Hong Junling, director of Red Cross Society, China, said, "In the past, if a patient became sick, we had to turn to donor programs overseas or in Taiwan to apply. Nowadays, for the most part, our patients know that if they become sick they can first try the China Red Cross database."

The Wells family will stay in China until next week, during which they will help recruit more bone marrow donors.

 

Editor:Zhang Ning