Gloria Cheng Pui-yan considered herself blessed to become the first child in Hong Kong to have a bone marrow transplant. More than 20 years on, her battle with cancer is long past, but she is still thankful to those who helped her.
Cheng was 13 years old when she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. "We were told a bone marrow transplant was the only way to cure it, but it was not available in Hong Kong at the time," said Cheng, now 36.
The following year, in 1991, Dr Yuen Man-pan set up Hong Kong's first paediatric bone marrow transplant unit at the Prince of Wales Hospital.
Yuen, now 75, and honorary clinical professor of paediatrics at Chinese University, still recalls the joy his team felt when Cheng's transplant, using her sister's bone marrow, was a success.
"We were under so much pressure," he said. "It was the first case and we couldn't fail or it would affect morale."
Yuen spent two years raising funds to build the team and set up the unit. "We started from scratch, but then we received so many donations," he said.
In 1993, Operation Santa Claus (OSC) joined in the enthusiastic fundraising for the unit. So far, 393 children, aged from six months to 15, have received a transplant at the unit.