'0.005% Miracle'... Army Sergeant Who Donated Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Kim Chae-eun: "There Was No Reason to Hesitate"
"With the Overwhelming Feeling of Protecting Lives as a Soldier of the Republic of Korea,
I Will Carry Out My Duties"

An Army non-commissioned officer guarding the front line of the Eastern Front has touched hearts by donating hematopoietic stem cells to a blood cancer patient he had never met before.

The protagonist of this story is Corporal Kim Chae-eun of the Logistics Support Battalion, Ssangho Brigade, 22nd Infantry Division of the Army. On the 21st, the 22nd Infantry Division announced that Corporal Kim donated hematopoietic stem cells on the 18th to treat a blood cancer patient.

Sergeant Kim Chae-eun of the 22nd Infantry Division, Army. Provided by the 22nd Infantry Division, Army.

Corporal Kim, who has been interested in helping neighbors since childhood, has been regularly donating blood. One day, through her older sister who is a nurse, she came across a brochure about hematopoietic stem cell donation. Without hesitation, she seized the 0.005% chance of a stem cell match and registered her name on the list of hopeful donors to help patients at the brink of life.

Later, at the end of last year, Corporal Kim was contacted that there was a patient whose hematopoietic stem cell genotype matched hers, and she completed the donation on the 18th. It was possible to donate five years after registering as a hopeful donor in 2020. In particular, thanks to her diligent health management for the donation, she was able to collect hematopoietic stem cells amounting to five times the target component level.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a treatment that gives new life by transplanting hematopoietic stem cells at the appropriate time to leukemia or cancer patients. According to the National Organ, Tissue and Blood Management Service of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the probability of matching human leukocyte antigen types between patient and donor is within 5% between parent and child, within 25% between siblings, and only one in thousands to tens of thousands among unrelated individuals.

Corporal Kim said, "The donation may be a small sharing for me, but I had no reason to hesitate thinking it could be a great hope for someone." She added, "As a soldier of the Republic of Korea, I will carry out my military duties with the overwhelming feeling of having protected the lives of the people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.