A "One-in-Tens-of-Thousands" Miracle: Saving a Life Outside the Operating Room

A resident doctor in training at a university hospital has fulfilled a promise made during his college years to share the gift of life.

According to Chosun University Hospital on November 5, Kim Kyung-hoon, a resident in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, recently donated hematopoietic stem cells to a patient battling myelodysplastic syndrome.

Back in 2012, while he was a college student, Dr. Kim participated in a blood donation drive, chanced upon the hematopoietic stem cell sharing procedure, and registered as a potential donor.

His hope was to make even a small contribution to saving someone's life.

Fourteen years later, upon receiving word that there was a patient whose human leukocyte antigens (HLA) matched his, Dr. Kim readily agreed to the donation.

Hematopoietic stem cell donation is only possible when the human leukocyte antigens match, and the probability of a match between an unrelated patient and donor is merely one in tens of thousands, which is why it is often referred to as a miracle of sharing.

Despite his demanding training schedule moving between the operating room and hospital wards, Dr. Kim successfully completed the hematopoietic stem cell collection after receiving stimulants for several days and being hospitalized.

Dr. Kim stated, "As I encounter patients, I have come to realize how immense the pain of a disease is not only to the individual, but also to the family standing by their side. It is deeply meaningful to be able to help save a life in a way different from the clinical field."

(Photo provided by Chosun University Hospital, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.