“For those who are scared or maybe hesitate (to donate their bone marrow), please don’t hesitate,” says Mr Tan Yu Ren.
SINGAPORE: In the midst of his senior police officer training course in late 2020, Mr Tan Yu Ren received some “pretty shocking” news.
Mr Tan was speaking to CNA after the Bone Marrow Donor Programme – Singapore’s sole bone marrow registry – celebrated its 30th anniversary on Jul 19. The sign-up age group for marrow donors in Singapore is between 18 and 49. Once registered, a donor's details will be stored in BMDP's database until the age of 60.
He did not hear back from them until November 2020 when he was undergoing his senior police officer course. BMDP staff called him to say he was a perfect match for a child with thalassemia – a genetic blood disorder that affects a person’s ability to produce haemoglobin and healthy red blood cells. “If you commit yourself to donating bone marrow … you should take responsibility to keep yourself risk-free, not to expose yourself in such an environment,” he noted.
While he really wanted to meet the recipient, he was told that he had to wait two years due to a slim chance of a relapse. The boy could then need a second bone marrow transplant and BMDP did not want donors to feel obligated to donate again, Mr Tan said.Finally, on Mar 15, he got to meet the boy – accompanied by his parents – for the first time. Mr Tan took his wife and two-year-old son along with him as well.
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