Marrow Donor Saves Alan Kuo

In September, Alan J. Kuo '85, who suffered from chronic myelogenous leukemia, was told by his doctors that unless he found a bone marrow donor, he had only one month to live.

But despite the medical odds, Kuo has survived. Aided by bone marrow drives across the country, including one at Harvard Sept. 23 and 24, Kuo found a compatible donor and underwent a successful transplant operation.

On Monday, he left the Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to return to his nearby home.

In a telephone interview yesterday from Seattle, Kuo's voice was clear and steady as he described the wonders of being out of the hospital for the first time in months.

"It feels strange," Kuo said. "I took a walk today around the block [of my family's apartment building]. It's tough on the legs.... I have to be careful."

But before returning to his life in San Francisco, Kuo must stay at home on out-patient basis for two months.

Though he is still on 10 different immuno-suppressant drugs, he is cautiously optimistic, talking of his desire to travel and resume a normal relationship with his girl-friend.

"I don't think I've ever not been optimistic," Kuo said.

When Kuo was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in 1995, his being able to talk of the future seemed chimeric.

But the search for a bone marrow donor was complicated by the fact that Kuo's bone marrow type included a rare antigen found with some frequency only among other Asians.

Carol Gillespie, project administrator of the Asian-American Donor Program said that of the 3,035,893 donors listed in the National Bone Marrow Registry, only 173,183 are Asian donors.

Gillespie said that nationally there is a total of 30,000 diagnoses of leukemia every year. But in its 12-year history, the Asian American Donor Program (AADP) has counted only 136 Asians who were able to find a compatible donor and undergo a transplant.

"It's really really hard to quote the numbers. Some have died waiting for a transplant, some are no longer eligible for a transplant because their condition is so advanced and some refuse to undergo so much pain" Gillespie said.

"I think it's amazing that [Kuo's] alive today," she added.

After fruitlessly searching for a donor, Kuo agreed to publicize his story last July. In doing so, Kuo became a cause clbre.

Gillespie said that Kuo was interviewed by radio and television stations. His friends and family distributed enormous numbers of flyers, e-mails, posters and set up a Web page.

"He was everywhere," Gillespie said. She added that AADP's annual recruitment increased by 2,000 donors last year, most likely due to the publicity surrounding Kuo's search. The AADP recruits 8,000 to 10,000 donors annually, she said.

In accordance with general transplant policy, Kuo's donor, who is currently described only as a young Asian woman, will remain anonymous for a year.

James C. Kuo, Alan's father, said that the family believes the donor probably participated in one of the bone marrow drives Kuo's family and friends conducted.

But Mark Simonoff, a friend of Kuo's since high school who helped organize the Harvard drive with the Chinese Students' Association, said the donor probably did not come from the Harvard drive.

Kuo found his donor less than a week after the Harvard students did a good deed.

"As far as Harvard is concerned, even though they didn't help Alan, probably down the road they'll be called on to help someone else." Simonoff said.

Indeed, Harrison Lin '99, president of the Chinese Students Association, said it was "entirely possible" to organize another bone marrow drive in a couple of years.

"It was a huge success the first time we did it," Lin said. "I don't see why we won't do it again."

But even after finding a donor, Kuo had a hard battle to fight, Simonoff said.

"I was talking to him last Thanksgiving [after Kuo had found his donor] and I was thinking there was a 50-50 chance, but then he said 20 percent." Simonoff said. "I was really worried because that didn't seem like good odds."

Kuo's advanced stage of leukemia and the fact that his donor was not a complete match, having one different antigen, lowered the odds of Kuo's recovery. After Kuo's transplant operation on Dec. 10, Kuo had a brush with death. Near Christmas, his liver and kidney functions went almost fatally askew.

But as of yesterday, Kuo's liver and kidney functions have improved greatly. Kuo's transplanted bone marrow has engrafted--been accepted by his body--and his graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) has been mild.

According to Dr. Stan Riddell of the Hutchinson Center, a scenario such as this is the best that a patient could hope for. But Kuo is still not totally off the hook. According to his father, Kuo is still at risk for developing a more serious case of GVHD, and the possibility of a relapse is "still high" for his first year of recovery. However, the risk of relapse decreases with time.

"It isn't over until it's over, but I think he's coming out of the tunnel," Simonoff said. "It does seem miraculous...[but] he just has the will to live.

After fruitlessly searching for a donor, Kuo agreed to publicize his story last July. In doing so, Kuo became a cause clbre.

Gillespie said that Kuo was interviewed by radio and television stations. His friends and family distributed enormous numbers of flyers, e-mails, posters and set up a Web page.

"He was everywhere," Gillespie said. She added that AADP's annual recruitment increased by 2,000 donors last year, most likely due to the publicity surrounding Kuo's search. The AADP recruits 8,000 to 10,000 donors annually, she said.

In accordance with general transplant policy, Kuo's donor, who is currently described only as a young Asian woman, will remain anonymous for a year.

James C. Kuo, Alan's father, said that the family believes the donor probably participated in one of the bone marrow drives Kuo's family and friends conducted.

But Mark Simonoff, a friend of Kuo's since high school who helped organize the Harvard drive with the Chinese Students' Association, said the donor probably did not come from the Harvard drive.

Kuo found his donor less than a week after the Harvard students did a good deed.

"As far as Harvard is concerned, even though they didn't help Alan, probably down the road they'll be called on to help someone else." Simonoff said.

Indeed, Harrison Lin '99, president of the Chinese Students Association, said it was "entirely possible" to organize another bone marrow drive in a couple of years.

"It was a huge success the first time we did it," Lin said. "I don't see why we won't do it again."

But even after finding a donor, Kuo had a hard battle to fight, Simonoff said.

"I was talking to him last Thanksgiving [after Kuo had found his donor] and I was thinking there was a 50-50 chance, but then he said 20 percent." Simonoff said. "I was really worried because that didn't seem like good odds."

Kuo's advanced stage of leukemia and the fact that his donor was not a complete match, having one different antigen, lowered the odds of Kuo's recovery. After Kuo's transplant operation on Dec. 10, Kuo had a brush with death. Near Christmas, his liver and kidney functions went almost fatally askew.

But as of yesterday, Kuo's liver and kidney functions have improved greatly. Kuo's transplanted bone marrow has engrafted--been accepted by his body--and his graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) has been mild.

According to Dr. Stan Riddell of the Hutchinson Center, a scenario such as this is the best that a patient could hope for. But Kuo is still not totally off the hook. According to his father, Kuo is still at risk for developing a more serious case of GVHD, and the possibility of a relapse is "still high" for his first year of recovery. However, the risk of relapse decreases with time.

"It isn't over until it's over, but I think he's coming out of the tunnel," Simonoff said. "It does seem miraculous...[but] he just has the will to live.

Gillespie said that Kuo was interviewed by radio and television stations. His friends and family distributed enormous numbers of flyers, e-mails, posters and set up a Web page.

"He was everywhere," Gillespie said. She added that AADP's annual recruitment increased by 2,000 donors last year, most likely due to the publicity surrounding Kuo's search. The AADP recruits 8,000 to 10,000 donors annually, she said.

In accordance with general transplant policy, Kuo's donor, who is currently described only as a young Asian woman, will remain anonymous for a year.

James C. Kuo, Alan's father, said that the family believes the donor probably participated in one of the bone marrow drives Kuo's family and friends conducted.

But Mark Simonoff, a friend of Kuo's since high school who helped organize the Harvard drive with the Chinese Students' Association, said the donor probably did not come from the Harvard drive.

Kuo found his donor less than a week after the Harvard students did a good deed.

"As far as Harvard is concerned, even though they didn't help Alan, probably down the road they'll be called on to help someone else." Simonoff said.

Indeed, Harrison Lin '99, president of the Chinese Students Association, said it was "entirely possible" to organize another bone marrow drive in a couple of years.

"It was a huge success the first time we did it," Lin said. "I don't see why we won't do it again."

But even after finding a donor, Kuo had a hard battle to fight, Simonoff said.

"I was talking to him last Thanksgiving [after Kuo had found his donor] and I was thinking there was a 50-50 chance, but then he said 20 percent." Simonoff said. "I was really worried because that didn't seem like good odds."

Kuo's advanced stage of leukemia and the fact that his donor was not a complete match, having one different antigen, lowered the odds of Kuo's recovery. After Kuo's transplant operation on Dec. 10, Kuo had a brush with death. Near Christmas, his liver and kidney functions went almost fatally askew.

But as of yesterday, Kuo's liver and kidney functions have improved greatly. Kuo's transplanted bone marrow has engrafted--been accepted by his body--and his graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) has been mild.

According to Dr. Stan Riddell of the Hutchinson Center, a scenario such as this is the best that a patient could hope for. But Kuo is still not totally off the hook. According to his father, Kuo is still at risk for developing a more serious case of GVHD, and the possibility of a relapse is "still high" for his first year of recovery. However, the risk of relapse decreases with time.

"It isn't over until it's over, but I think he's coming out of the tunnel," Simonoff said. "It does seem miraculous...[but] he just has the will to live.