A Shanghai medical student became the 50,000th registered donor at the local branch of the China Stem Cell Donation Bank yesterday.

Fei Yingying, 22, a second-year nursing student at Fudan University's Medical College, took part in a campaign launched by the bank to collect more donors at the university yesterday.

"I just heard of this campaign and decided to participate with my classmates," said Fei, a native of Shandong Province.

The Shanghai Red Cross set up the bank in 1992.

By last month, it had helped 1,836 leukemia patients from home and abroad to search for possible bone-marrow and stem-cell donors in its database. So far, 198 patients have found matching donors and 56 patients have undergone stem cell transplants.

Also yesterday, the recipient and donor of the city's 17th stem cell donation met each other.

Wang yong, a Jiangsu Province native, is healthy and runs his own company. He said he will get married soon.

"I may never have had the chance to enjoy my happiness, since I was diagnosed with leukemia three years ago. It was the stem cell bank that saved my life," said Wang, while shaking hands with donor Guo Ying.

(Shanghai Daily April 30, 2005)