Love beyond Borders

By+staff+reporter+CHEN+JUN

IN a speech delivered at Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea on July 4， 2014， Chinese President Xi Jinping told a story about a bone marrow donor. Zhang Bao is a Chinese volunteer donor whose blood sample matched that of a South Korean leukemia patient. After recovering from a car accident， he kept his promise to donate his bone marrow to the patient.

“Fate is unpredictable. Its not a big deal to lend a hand when others are suffering，” Xi said， quoting Zhangs words. The president said that of the 156 foreign patients who received Chinese bone marrow， 45 were South Korean –far surpassing the number from other countries. “Moving stories like this can be found everywhere， demonstrating the friendship between the Chinese and Korean peoples，” Xi concluded.

From Blood Donor to Bone Marrow Donor

Zhang Bao， 33 years old， heads the Huainan branch of Jiangsu Jiuding Global Construction Technology Group Co.， Ltd. He studied at the Wuhan Institute of Shipbuilding Technology in Hubei and began working in the city after graduation. But in 2008， he returned to his hometown Huainan in Anhui Province to start a business with his uncle Su Yi.

We met in Zhangs tidy， well-lit office， and my first impression was of a calm and simple person. Su Yi says his nephew “works much but talks little.”

Zhang Bao has donated blood 15 times， he said， amounting to six liters in total. It started in the spring of 2001. One day Zhang encountered a mobile blood donation station while on the street with his schoolmates in Wuhan.“I didnt do it on purpose at first. I just often heard that blood banks run dry every now and then and there are people in emergencies who need blood badly，” Zhang said about his first time giving blood. “I was a freshman at that time and did not have much money to help others. But I could use my blood to help those in need， with no harm to my health. So， why not？”

In the following years he donated blood every semester. It became a part of his life even after graduation.

One day in 2005， Zhang Bao donated blood as he often did at a station in Wuhan. But this time he went further， and filled out an application volunteering to donate hematopoietic stem cells （HSCs）. In May 2008， the Korean Marrow Donor Program （KMDP） sought help from the Chinese Marrow Donor Program（CMDP） for a Korean patient. The patient had suffered from leukemia for six years and needed an HSCs transplant to save his life. Out of 1.1 million volunteer donors registered with CMDP， Zhang Bao was the only one with matching bone marrow.endprint

Zhang Bao admitted that he was a little worried about donating when approached by CMDP workers. “Because I had no idea what it really meant. Before that， I just heard of that marrow punctures were quite painful，” Zhang explained. He then did some research about marrow donation and his uncle consulted doctors. CMDP staff also explained the bone marrow harvest procedures. Learning that the surgery would do little harm to his health， Zhang finally decided to donate.

Committed Donor

After the preliminary matching test Zhang Bao was in a car accident in March 2009， which injured his head and chest and left him with several fractures. He stayed in hospital for nearly one month and received rehabilitative therapy for several more. In November that year， he was told by the CMDP that the Korean patient was in a critical situation and their bone marrows matched in more tests.

After surviving the car accident， Zhang Bao deeply understood how vulnerable and precious life is， strengthening his determination to donate marrow. “In a sense， I am the only person in the world who can save his life and I cannot stand aside.” Then Zhang repeated his words， later quoted by President Xi： “Fate is unpredictable. Its not a big deal to lend a hand when others are suffering.”

The bone marrow harvest was held in Beijing Daopei Hospital on January 14， 2010. Zhang Bao had to receive nine injections before the five-hour operation. Zhangs HSCs were finally collected and transferred by CMDP staff to their Korean counterparts. He was the first person from Hubei to donate marrow to a recipient overseas.

Information on donors and recipients is confidential by law， but Zhang Bao has always hoped to learn about the Korean patient and prayed for his health. “Love is beyond borders. What I did is nothing special. I believe other people would do the same，” Zhang said.

When President Xi delivered the July speech in Seoul， Zhang was working on a construction site as usual. He was not aware that he had been praised by the president until he received phone calls from the press later that day. “I am delighted and thrilled， and did not expect to be mentioned by the president during his visit to South Korea.” Until now Zhang has seldom talked about his marrow donation.

The Greatest Joy

Apart from donating blood and bone marrow， Zhang Bao has also sponsored several impoverished students over the years. Since 2004， Zhang has donated nearly RMB 50，000 to over 10 students.endprint

Many of them wrote to Zhang to ex- press their gratitude. Lu Guanghong from Huangzhong Duoba Middle School of Qinghai Province wrote in his letter：“Brother Zhang， I bought 10 reference books with the money you sent. Holding these books， I am strongly motivated to work harder. I have made up my mind to pay back the country the way you do when I grow up.” Liu Wenfang， Lus schoolmate， wrote： “Brother Zhang， I will never give up my future. I am determined to work hard and repay society with outstanding academic performance.”

Zhang always feels cheered when he reads these letters. No matter how busy he is， Zhang conscientiously answers these childrens letters. “I believe love can be passed on. I hope these students succeed in their study and help others in the future if they can.”

In addition， Zhang Bao and his company staff volunteered to renovate the martyrs cemetery in Huainan， and donated money to a friends sick child.

In 2011 Zhangs name appeared on the “Good People” shortlist in China. However， he refused to stage a campaign to woo voters. “I do what I think should be done， and stick to it，” Zhang said. “A person is bound to contribute to society. For me， the greatest joy in life comes from giving and serving.”endprint