Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

A SOLDIER in Shenzhen has become a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) donor who had the shortest time from successful matching to donation since the establishment of the China Marrow Donor Program (CMDP) in 1992, smashing the record that was set by a 33-year-old man in the city in 2021.

The soldier, surnamed Liang, completed the donation at the Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital on Tuesday. It took only six days to complete Liang’s HSC donation from matching to final donation, two days shorter than the previous record, according to the Shenzhen Blood Center.

Liang was Shenzhen’s 613th and the country’s 15,369th person to donate HSCs to an unrelated recipient.

“I’m just serving the people,” Liang, who is in his 20s, said shyly about the donation. After receiving an urgent matching notice from the blood center’s liaison officer May 25, Liang, who was on leave and out of town, promptly planned a return trip to complete the donation.

Meanwhile, the city’s blood donation center immediately launched an emergency plan, which arranged for Liang’s physical examination and high-resolution sampling and coordinated with the hospital for HSC collection on the morning of May 26. In the afternoon, a report came out and showed that Liang was suitable for the donation.

“I was quite surprised and excited. I didn’t expect that I can donate to others,” Liang said, adding that one of his comrades had donated HSCs for another patient last week. The comrade Liang mentioned also came to support Liang at the hospital Tuesday.

“I hope I can help others with my own efforts. I believe that all soldiers will never turn their backs in such situation, not only because of their responsibilities, but also because of their dedication to serving the people,” Liang said.