“I was hospitalized for 3 days and had blood drained”…Choi Kang-hee becomes the first celebrity to donate white blood cells to a brother with leukemia [헬스톡]

Actor Choi Kang-hee donating blood. Source = MBC ‘Point of Omniscient Interfere’ capture

[파이낸셜뉴스] Actress Choi Kang-hee revealed the story of becoming the first celebrity to donate hematopoietic stem cells (white blood cells) to a child suffering from leukemia.

Choi Kang-hee appeared on the MBC entertainment program ‘Point of Omniscient Interfere’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘Point of Omniscient Interfere’) that aired on the 9th and revealed an image of her donating blood.

Donated blood 46 times and received ‘Blood Donation Milk Factory Silver Medal’

Choi Kang-hee, who donated blood as many as 46 times and received a silver medal from the Blood Donation Center, showed skill in taking an electronic questionnaire and donating blood.

Choi Kang-hee said, “My self-esteem was so low that I went to get blood drawn when I felt so useless. Because donating the blood I have will be a good thing. “I’m excited (I thought),” he said, explaining why he donated blood for the first time.

He said, “I performed 30 times in a short period of time and received a silver medal. “I thought I would soon receive the gold medal (given at the 50th event), but after the hematopoietic stem cell transplant, I am doing it intermittently,” he said.

Donate ‘hematopoietic stem cells’ to brother with leukemia

Choi Kang-hee donated hematopoietic stem cells in 2007. Hematopoietic stem cells are cells that produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which are the main components of blood. Since blood cells have a lifespan, new blood cells must be constantly supplied to maintain a certain number. Patients with diseases such as leukemia, in which the hematopoietic stem cells that produce these cells produce only abnormal blood cells, must receive a transplant of hematopoietic stem cells from another person.

Choi Kang-hee said, “It is said that there are people whose matches do not appear throughout their lives. I was waiting to see when I would get a call, but I got a call after several years saying that he had arrived. Both of my brothers have leukemia, and my younger brother said he was a match for my father. My brother didn’t have a match (but he matched). They said my (hematopoietic stem cell) condition was good, so I set a date. The hospital said, ‘You must not overturn it. He said, ‘Tell me now.’ He said, “If you say you will do it and then don’t do it, you will often get discouraged and it will get worse.”

Choi Kang-hee said he was hospitalized for more than three days for donation and said, “Blood continued to be taken. It was a very enjoyable memory. “There were no aftereffects and no problems,” he explained.

The average probability of matching hematopoietic stem cells is 1 in 20,000. Registration of wish to donate is required.

Bone marrow donation refers to donating hematopoietic stem cells collected from the bone marrow to another person. Patients with leukemia and blood cancer cannot produce healthy blood cells, so they can use donated cells from others to create normal cells to sustain life.

Transplantation between blood relatives, such as parents, brothers, or sisters with matching genotypes, is also possible, and bone marrow donation between non-blood relatives is also possible.

The probability of matching hematopoietic stem cells with the correct genotype is very low, only about 1 in 20,000 on average, so if you are considering donating bone marrow, you must first register your wish to donate hematopoietic stem cells.

You can register through organizations such as the Korean Red Cross or the Korea Hematopoietic Stem Cell Banking Association. After registration, a compatibility test is required to check whether the bone marrow of the patient and the donor actually match.

Donation is done in the same way as component blood donation. You will be hospitalized for 3 to 4 days to collect hematopoietic stem cells from the blood, and collection takes 4 to 5 hours.

After discharge from the hospital, daily life is possible, and hematopoietic stem cells recover within 2 to 3 weeks after donation.

moon@fnnews.com Reporter Moon Young-jin

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