2017-Dec-13

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Saving a Life with Time2Give

BY BRUCE LOK · DEV OPS ENGINEER · HONG KONG

I joined Cisco in 2014 as a Dev Ops Engineer in GIS. Prior to joining Cisco, I worked for Hong Kong Police force in their cyber-crime department. I was born in Hong Kong, which is where I live today. I have a passion for martial arts, and I love running and swimming. Running helps me to escape the stresses of life and helps clear my head when I am stuck coding.

I am a regular blood donor, although being a blood donor in Hong Kong is not unusual—many people are blood donors. In May 2016, The Red Cross contacted me as I had come up on their database because they believed that I could be a bone marrow match for a patient in Hong Kong.

For many patients, a bone marrow transplant is their only chance at survival. Only 30 percent of patients find matching donors within their families. The remaining 70 percent must search for an unrelated donor.

Following some further testing, it was confirmed that I was a donor match for a patient who was suffering from a blood disease and required a haematopoietic stem cells transplantation. 

Once it was confirmed that I was a definite match, it took around eight months for the transplant to go ahead.  This was because the patient that was receiving my bone marrow was extremely sick and was not strong enough initially to actually go through the operation. To ensure the donor had the best chance, we had to ensure that the timing was perfect.

The transplant eventually took place in January this year under general anaesthesia. The operation itself only took about an hour, in which they extracted around 900ml of blood marrow from my hip bone. When I woke from surgery, I was a little sore and the pain was minimal. I did find however that I tired very easily, and on my release from hospital a few days later, the doctors advised me not to do any physical exercise for a few weeks. For me this was one of the hardest parts of the whole process because I am so active.

After a bone marrow donation, it replaces itself within four to six weeks. So within a short time, my body had totally recovered and my bone marrow replenished. The bone marrow recipient remains confidential. However, I do know that it was a father with a young family. I cannot imagine what that family must have been going through while waiting to find a suitable donor. A family man myself, I am just happy that I was able to save another family from the prospect of losing a husband and a father by saving a young man’s life.

Blood is an essential lifeline, not only in an emergency but also for those people who need long-term treatments. I was able to use some of my Time2Give to recover from my surgery, which helped me to take the time I needed to recover. 

I hope my story inspires more people to not only become blood donors, but also enroll as bone marrow donors.  Life should be cherished, and everyone has the potential to save a life. Donors are needed not just in Hong Kong but across the globe.

 

Related Links

• Hong Kong Red Cross
• Do Something.org
• Careers at Cisco
• Time2Give

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