Brother of leukemia patient in China changed his mind on day of donation – 捐骨髓日哥變卦 弟網上懇求生機

【明報專訊】按照原來的計劃，身患白血病的張成友將於春節前在北京接受骨髓移植，可原本答應為他捐獻骨髓的哥哥卻在手術前突然改變主意。張成友日前在網上發帖，懇請哥哥捐獻骨髓，給自己生的希望。

《京華時報》周六報道，張成友今年32歲，老家在河北遷安，大學畢業後留京工作已有10年，目前為西門子(中國)有限公司醫療部工程師。

2007年1月，因身上出現血點，張成友被確診為M5急性髓係白血病。接受了6個療程的化療後，張成友回老家休養了一年。去年9月，他的病情復發。

張成友說，患病後，他一邊接受化療，一邊通過中華骨髓庫尋找配型相合的骨髓捐獻志願者。張成友的哥哥也接受了HLA配型，結果為「半相合」。

骨髓移植大概得4、50萬元人民幣。張成友說，得知他患病的消息後，公司同事為他捐款7萬多元，公司領導還答應為他解決部分費用，加上自己借一點，錢基本上夠了，手術原計劃于春節前進行。

張成友哥哥上月28日從老家來京，住進304醫院做骨髓移植的術前準備。張成友表示，次日一早，醫生準備為哥哥做體檢時發現，哥哥已不辭而別，手機也處於關機狀態。

張成友隨即返回遷安，登門尋找卻不見哥哥，打他手機也不接。嫂嫂後來打來電話說，擔心手術成功率太低並對自己身體有影響，哥哥已不願捐獻骨髓。

張成友元旦在網上發了一個名為《哥哥，我想活》的帖子，希望哥哥打消顧慮捐獻骨髓，給他生的希望。

張成友哥哥周五中午在電話中表示，他和張成友的配型只是「半相合」，僅符合手術的最低要求。他擔心手術成功率太低，且自己身體一直不太好，患腰椎間盤突出已有多年，擔心手術對身體有損害。更讓他為難的是，他的妻子對此堅決反對，甚至以離婚相要挾。

據主治醫生閆蓓表示，「半相合」，手術成功率肯定比「全相合」的低，因為抗排異反應更難，所以手術費用也會更高。但目前來說，已沒有別的選擇。

32 year old Cheung Sing-Yao, a medical engineer in Beijing, was first diagnosed with acute leukemia in January 2007. 

A perfect unrelated marrow match was identified in Jiangxi at that time, however Cheung could not afford the approximate cost of $500,000 Yuan for the transplant, and therefore went through 6 rounds of chemotheraphy instead to try and put his leukemia in remission.  Which lasted for about a year, and ultimately relapsed in September 2008.

According to Cheung’s oncologist, a marrow transplant is Cheung’s only hope now for long term survival.  Unfortunately, the unrelated donor in Jiangxi has retracted their participation to be a marrow donor, leaving Cheung’s older brother, who is a half match (or haplo match), his only hope.

Cheung’s co-workers raised approximately $70,000 Yuan.  Cheung borrowed  from the bank, and Cheung’s employer agreed to pay for the balance so that a transplant can proceed before this Spring. 

Cheung’s brother travelled from their home village to Beijing to start the pre-transplant physical exams.  However, on the morning of Dec 28th, 2008,  he evidently changed his mind, left the hospital without notice and kept his cell phone turned off since.

Cheung repeatedly tried to reach his brother to appeal his decision, but was unable to get through in person or by phone.   On Jan 1,2009 , Cheung posted his appeal on a blog hoping to reach his brother through the internet.

Through a phone interview on Jan 2, 2009, Cheung’s  brother, a primary school teacher, told a local reporter that the success rate of a haplo transplant is relatively low compared to a transplant from an unrelated perfect match, and he was concerned that the donation process would affect his already ailing back.  He also told the reporter that his wife would divorce him if he went through with the donation. 

According to Cheung’s oncologist, the donation process definitely will not affect Cheung’s brother’s health in any way.  And even though the success rate of a haplo transplant is lower than a perfect unrelated match, time is of the essence for Cheung right now and a transplant of his older brother’s half-matched marrow is Cheung’s best hope for survival.

While Cheung and his parents continue to hope that his older brother will change his mind soon, Cheung’s step-sister has recently submitted her blood for an HLA typing, and the Chinese marrow registry continues to search for a perfect unrelated match for Cheung.

 

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