David found a donor !! (7th June 2008)

This is great news, and it revives our faith in humanity and modern science. We feel so thankful to that donor and all the people who are registered as donors, and those who work to expand cooperation in that field.
In Japan, 27 people so far have registered to be donors. None of us is compatible with David. Since the probability of a match is so small, this outcome was to be expected, but at the same time it was worth trying. Also, we may have a chance to save someone else’s life. Thank you to everyone who has done the little test and registered. Perhaps your goodwill has had a positive influence on the general scheme of things.

For those who have come across this web site after this piece of news is posted: why not register as a donor anyway? As explained below, the procedure is simple, quick, and the possible results from this simple action and what it can allow - another human being has a chance to be cured - are amazing.

For now, we say good luck and gambatte to David. This is not yet the end of the road. There are risks of infection and rejection. However, his organs are healthy and relatively strong, and he is a man with vast reserves of willpower.
Religious or not, we are all praying for you in our own way, David. Gambatte!

What is happening to David now could happen to any of us at anytime.
Just taking a few minutes for him might help to save his life.

Step 1
Fill in the donor registration form

Step 2
Go to the local Red Cross center

Step 3
Check your blood pressure

Step 4
Give a very small amount of blood

Step 5
Finished ! You get a free drink and your donor card

Step 6
Feedback to us : blog

Englishman David, a long-time resident of Japan and father of two children, received some shocking news late last year. He was diagnosed with a rare disease which leaves his bone marrow unable to produce white or red blood cells. His immune system has practically shut down and left him unprotected against all nature of germs and viruses. David was forced to quit his teaching positions at several local universities at the end of November and was hospitalized just before the New Year.

Fortunately, there is hope for David. Put simply, he needs a bone marrow transplant, a procedure which has now become fairly standard. All that is required is a compatible donor. After a transplant operation, the donor’s bone marrow will grow back normally, and David’s life will be saved.

There is a well-organized bone marrow donor system in Japan, but finding a compatibile donor is the problem. A suitable donor must meet six compatibility criteria, which means that the chance of two people being compatible is extremely small. Moreover, physiological differences mean that it is extremely unlikely that local (Japanese) donors’ marrow will be compatible with David’s Caucasian bone marrow. As there are currently no donor exchange programs with Europe, America is the only possibility, but the search procedure is likely to be long and costly. In matters such as these, half a year more can be the difference between life and death. The obvious solution is to try and find a donor among foreigners living in Japan.

What can we do ?
All foreigners living here are easily able to check whether their compatibility with David. The chance that one of us will actually meet the criteria is very slim. But then again, statistics are statistics, and it is quite possible that the second person being tested turns out to be the one who saves his life. The testing procedure takes only ten minutes and is free if you register as a donor.

What does registering as a donor involve ?
It means that if someone in need of a transplant matches your profile, you will be contacted to ask if you want to go ahead with the transplant. The chance of that happening is also very slim: foreigners in Japan are relatively few, and in the case of someone in the US requiring a transplant a donor will of course first be searched for among the 11 million donors registered there. Then again, you might be given the chance to save someone’s life.

How can I test for compatibilty?
Just download the registration form from the Japan Bone Marrow Bank (JMDP) web site and fill it in, or fill one in at your local blood donation center. The compatibility test itself takes ten minutes- it involves checking your blood pressure and taking 2 milliliters of blood. It’s an extremely quick and simple procedure, which can be done on the way to work or anywhere else- when two of us went to the Kyoto center, we were done and out of the door within 15 minutes.
As a final request, we would be very grateful if you took a few minutes to explain in our blog how the test went and share practical information, if any. This will allow us to update our count of how many people have done this test.

If I match the criteria, and decide to be a donor, what will I go through?
The operation is quite simple. After a general anesthetic, the doctors will extract some of your bone marrow from bones in the hip region. You will be in and out of hospital within about 3 days, and of course, all expenses will be covered by the donor association.

How else can I help ?
By relaying this message to fellow foreigners living in Japan.
For example, by sending this e-mail to people in your address book. Please send it only to people you know fairly well : we don’t want this to be considered as spam.
If you belong to an association and have the possibility to contact other members, that would be great too.
And we are open to any other ideas. It’s best if you can carry it out yourself, since we are just a few individuals with limited time...