Selfless Dedication to Life-Saving——HUTB Graduate Lei Xiaodong Donated Hematopoietic Stem Cells
2021-10-10
Holding a heart of dedication, sowing the seeds of life. On October 8th, Lei Xiaodong, a 2021 graduate student majoring in electronic information of the Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies of HUTB, successfully donated 170 ml of hematopoietic stem cell suspension after four and a half hours of operation in the hematopoietic stem cell collection room of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. This bag of precious hematopoietic stem cell suspension was rushed to Beijing Yanda Daopei Hospital on the same day to help a girl suffering from aplastic anemia (extremely severe) rekindle the hope of life. Lei Xiaodong also became the 12110th hematopoietic stem cell donor in China, the 865th in Hunan Province and the first in his hometown, Lanshan County of Yongzhou City.
On behalf of HUTB Party Secretary and Academician Chen Xiaohong, Ren Jian, Vice Party Secretary and Honorary President of the Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, and teacher and student representatives came to visit Lei Xiaodong at the hospital and offered him reward for his donation. Dai Helong, Vice President of Red Cross Society of China Hunan Branch, Zhang Zan, Director of the bone marrow bank, the heads of Red Cross Societies of China Hunan Changsha Branch and Lanshan Branch, and the heads of the Hematology Department of the Second Xiangya Hospital accompanied the visit.
Lei Xiaodong was born in Lanshan County, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province in 1999. His parents worked away from home all year round and he had been livingwith his grandfather. Although Lei Xiaodong grew up to be introvert, he was also very independent and self-determined, and gradually he has built a spirit of silent dedication and a down-to-earth attitude. In the eyes of his teachers, Lei Xiaodong is dedicated student who doesn't talk much, and he always actively participates in research and does practical work silently in the team.
Speaking about the reason for his donation, Lei said that he was influenced by his math teacher when he was in primary school. The teacher often told the students about his blood donation, which gave Lei a preliminary understanding of voluntary public welfare contribution. More importantly, he thinks that not everyone is able to save lives , so the donation was become his natural choice.
Lei Xiaodong went to donate blood with his friends in 2018 when he was an undergraduate, and was asked by the staff if he would like to join the China Bone Marrow Bank. At that time, he took the initiative to join with the idea of "what if the matching was successful?” In August this year, he received a notice from the Red Cross Society that he had been successfully matched with a patient. After deliberate consideration and with support of his family, he decided to donate his hematopoietic stem cells. He went through a test and physical examination in September, attended a hematopoietic stem cell collection and mobilization meeting from October 4 to 7, and made the formal donation on October 8. During the test and physical examination, he carried on with his study and actively cooperated with the donation work. During the collection operation, Lei Xiaodong didn't feel uncomfortable. He felt very happy because he was being needed by others. During the mobilization and collection, he couldn't go out and talk to other people. Still, he felt very happy. He didn't think it was a burden, and cooperated with the donation work without complaining, because he knew that the recipient was looking forward to his hematopoietic stem cells and waiting for a chance to live. After the successful donation, Lei Xiaodong said, "I am very happy to save a life, and I'm in good physical conditions."
Knowing that Lei Xiaodong was willing to donate, the recipient and her family sent thank-you letter to Lei. The letter mentioned that the recipient was a girl suffering from aplastic anemia and that she was in extremely severe conditions. Knowing that their daughter was ill, the family fell into an ice cave and had been under great pressure ever since. The recipient was experiencing the arduous process of blood drawing and bone marrow puncture, and facing the danger of losing her live. It was Lei Xiaodong's good deeds that gave the family hope. They were very grateful, and thanked the donor for saving a young life and a family on the verge of breaking down. Lei Xiaodong was very excited after learning about the letter. He thought what he did was very meaningful.
The head of Changsha Red Cross Society commended Lei Xiaodong for his deed and said, "Lei Xiaodong's good deeds reflect the significance of 'putting life and health first’". He said that the probability of successful initial matching of hematopoietic stem cells is very low, varying from 1 in 10,000 to one in 100,000, and successful matches are very rare. He believes that it was because Lei Xiaodong was so determined to donate that the donation went smoothly. He said what Lei has done is the embodiment of positive energy of society and the positive spirit that society should vigorously promote.
Lei Xiaodong's donation also deeply touched the teachers and students. Ren Jian said, "Lei Xiaodong is excellent in academic performance and also brave. His selfless donation should be a good example for everyone, and his thought of putting himself in the shoes of the donor's family is especially commendable. I hope he will continue to bring this kind of silent dedication and practical work into his study and life, and I hope that more people can learn from him.” (Written by Shao Jianjing, Zhang Gaoyang. Photo by Zhang Gaoyang.)
