In December 2021, Xiaoan, who had just turned 18, suddenly developed symptoms such as ulcers and blood spots. After a series of examinations, Xiaoan was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. Aplastic Anemia is an auto-immune condition where over-reactive T-cells in the blood have been triggered to attack the body’s own bone marrow. Xiaoan also had “PNH clones” in the blood (paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria), which is a hallmark of severe aplastic anemia. This severe attack can lead to complete bone marrow failure and death. While seeking treatment in many domestic hospitals, Xiaoan’s parents learned that: At present, umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is one of the effective methods for treating aplastic anemia, and the cure rate of cord blood transplants with the patient’s own autologous cord blood is high. This gave Xiaoan’s family, who had been shrouded in the haze of the disease, a new light of hope, because as early as 2003, when the child was born, Xiaoan’s parents had stored umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells for the child in the Tianjin Cord Blood Bank.
After Xiaoan’s treatment plan for autologous umbilical cord blood transplantation was determined, the hospital and Xiaoan’s parents contacted Tianjin Cord Blood Bank as soon as possible. Upon receiving the news, the staff of the cord blood bank immediately devoted themselves to the preparations for the release of the cord blood. Re-examination by professional technicians showed that the umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells that had been “sleeping” for 19 years were in good condition, and all indicators met the release standards. In December 2022, Xiaoan was transferred to Beijing Lu Daopei Hospital, a well-known specialized hospital for blood diseases in the country, and was officially prepared to receive a stem cell transplant. With the efforts of the staff, the precious cord blood was successfully delivered to the transplantation hospital. December 25, 2022 is of great significance to Xiaoan’s family. After the all-out treatment by Director Xiong Min of Beijing Lu Daopei Hospital, Xiaoan underwent reinfusion of umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells on the same day, and this precious seed of life returned to the owner smoothly. About a month later, Xiaoan was released from intensive care, and all physical indicators recovered well. He was discharged from the hospital in February of 2023 and returned to normal life.
