Diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome at Nearly 60, Five Years After Transplant He Celebrates a "Second Birthday"

Summary: In 2019, Mr. Ji learned he was anemic during a routine workplace health check. As fatigue and a persistent cough worsened, he sought further medical care and was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in April 2020. As his blood counts continued to fall and his condition deteriorated, he underwent a thorough evaluation and, in December of that year, received a related haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant from his younger brother. The transplant journey was difficult, with bleeding and painful ulcers in his mouth and esophagus, but he kept eating, stayed engaged in his care, and gradually recovered with the support of his family and medical team. More than five years later, Mr. Ji is back to everyday life and now considers the day of his transplant his "second birthday." His story follows an MDS patient approaching 60 from diagnosis through transplant and long-term stability, and shows how hope, perseverance, and supporting others can become a source of strength.

Now 64, Mr. Ji (pseudonym) first learned that he was anemic during a routine workplace health check in November 2019. Because he felt well at the time, he did not think much of it. As his fatigue gradually worsened and a persistent cough failed to improve, he sought further medical care. In April 2020, he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

That December, Mr. Ji successfully underwent a related haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant at GoBroad Shanghai Zhaxin Hospital. The road was far from easy, but with his own determination, the steady support of his family, and dedicated care from the medical team, he made it through transplantation and began a new chapter of life.

More than five years later, Mr. Ji remains clinically stable and has returned to his normal routine. He sees transplantation as a new beginning and marks the transplant date as his second birthday. Over time, he has also become more open and at peace. One idea he often shares is that strength comes from looking beyond oneself, treating others with kindness, and thinking of their needs as well. During his recovery, he has repeatedly offered encouragement and practical advice to other patients, hoping his own experience can help them through difficult moments.

As he reaches the five-year milestone after transplant, Mr. Ji hopes that sharing his experience - especially his decision to undergo transplantation when he was close to 60 - can offer hope and encouragement to others still going through treatment.

Q1: When you were first diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in April 2020, what symptoms were you experiencing?

A: My blood test results had already shown some mild abnormalities during my workplace health check in 2019. But because I did not feel unwell at the time, I did not pay much attention to it.

During the 2020 Spring Festival period, I spent more than a month helping with community COVID-19 response shifts as a Communist Party member. After that, I began to feel unusually tired and weak, and I had a cough that just would not go away. I went to the hospital, and a complete blood count showed that several of my blood counts had dropped significantly. That was when I realized something was wrong. I was referred to hematology and was eventually diagnosed with MDS.

When I was first diagnosed, my thinking was actually very simple: if my body was not making enough blood cells, couldn't I just go to the hospital for regular transfusions? I later realized it was nowhere near that simple. A colleague working in Shanghai helped me make connections, and I eventually came to GoBroad Shanghai Zhaxin Hospital to see Professor Chun Wang. Over the next few months, I was losing almost half a kilogram a day. I kept getting thinner and weaker. At one point, my platelet count fell to around 7 or 8, and even a small cut could keep bleeding. The situation became very difficult.

Q2: When your doctors recommended an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant, you were already close to 60. Many people worry that transplantation at an older age carries substantial risk. What helped you decide to move forward?

A: At first, I was afraid of transplantation because I did not understand much about it. Professor Chun Wang reviewed my condition and felt that going directly to an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant would offer me greater potential benefit. Through conversations with other patients and by learning more about my disease, I gradually came to understand that MDS is different from leukemia. In my own way of thinking about it, it was not simply a matter of "bad cells attacking"; the blood-forming stem cells themselves were abnormal and could no longer produce healthy blood cells properly. I also came to understand that prolonged chemotherapy was unlikely to be the best approach for my situation, so transplantation seemed like the better option. To me, a stem cell transplant was like replacing the body's "blood-making factory" with a new, healthy one - one of the best ways to aim for long-term control of MDS and reduce the risk of progression to leukemia.

I had read online that people over 55 were often advised against transplant and treated more conservatively because of the risks. Then I followed the hospital's WeChat account and learned that, in 2017, Professor Chun Wang's team had been the first in China to successfully perform a haploidentical allogeneic stem cell transplant in a 67-year-old patient. While I was receiving treatment, I also heard about a 71-year-old man from Guangdong who had successfully undergone an allogeneic transplant. Those cases showed me how experienced Professor Wang's team was and gave me more confidence in my decision.

My family fully supported my decision, especially my younger brother. He is an incredibly generous person. Not only did he donate hematopoietic stem cells for me, he had already registered with the China Marrow Donor Program (CMDP). He kept encouraging me to stay confident in the decision to proceed with transplantation.

Looking back, I feel I did not lose time going down the wrong path. For me, choosing transplantation directly was the right decision.

Q3: Which part of the treatment journey was the hardest for you?

A: For me, the hardest time was actually before I decided to have the transplant. Twice, I had bleeding from both my nose and mouth. Blood was dripping from my nose, and when I pinched it, blood started coming out of my mouth as well. I was terrified because it just would not stop. That was the most frightening part of the whole experience.

Once the transplant actually started, I was not as afraid anymore. I was in Transplant Room 5. The patient in the next room could barely get out of bed, but I kept getting up to use the bathroom on my own and sat up to eat. My mouth and esophagus were covered in painful ulcers, but I still made myself eat. Sometimes it took me two hours to finish one bowl of food. No matter how much it hurt, I swallowed one bite at a time. I even asked the nurses for ice and numbed my mouth before trying to eat again. At my weakest, I could barely get up from bed, but I still pushed myself to sit up and eat because I knew my body needed calories and nutrition to keep going.

I believe that once you have a goal and something to hope for, you have a reason to keep going. When the fear and uncertainty about what lies ahead begin to fade, what remains is the determination to hold on and get through it.

Q4: After going through such a serious illness, has the experience changed the way you see life?

A: Even now, when I think back on that period, I still feel a little tense. Some things are impossible to fully understand unless you have lived through them yourself.

After transplant, many of us felt the same way: it was like being given another life, like coming back from the edge. When I talked with other patients, some said they had changed their birthday to the day of their transplant; one person even renamed his company because he wanted to mark the start of a new life. Back then, when we talked, we did not ask, "How old are you?" We asked, "How many days or months has it been since your transplant?" - almost like asking the age of a newborn. I will never forget that time.

I am a Communist Party member, and in Party lectures and in my own regular study I often came across the idea of "selflessness" - not thinking only about yourself, but considering others as well. I believe that if you treat people with kindness, even when life is difficult, you can still find something good and a way forward.

Q5: What would you like to say to other patients who are still in treatment and fighting their illness?

A: I remember a woman in her 50s who could not decide whether to go ahead with a transplant. Patients in the hospital often talk with one another and ask who is recovering well or responding well to treatment. She heard that I was doing well and came to ask about my experience, so I shared what I had been through and tried to encourage her.

I told her three things. First, trust the clinical expertise of the team at GoBroad Shanghai Zhaxin Hospital. Second, trust that the team genuinely cares about its patients. Third, trust in how far medicine has come - conditions that once felt untreatable now have more treatment options. Most importantly, have confidence in yourself.

If fear or indecision takes over and keeps you from moving forward, you may end up missing an important window for treatment.

That is what I most want to say to others still going through treatment: stay confident and keep believing.

Mr. Ji during a spring outing in a park, March 2026

A Message of Thanks from Mr. Ji

I am deeply grateful to the medical team led by Professor Chun Wang. Their expertise, dedication, and compassion gave me a second chance at life. I am especially grateful to Dr. Chuxian Zhao for the thoughtful care and support she has provided throughout my long-term follow-up after transplant. At GoBroad Shanghai Zhaxin Hospital, everyone - from doctors and nurses to patient services and support staff - made me feel genuinely cared for. You are all people with great compassion. For the rest of my life, I will always speak warmly of Zhaxin Hospital. Words can hardly express how thankful I am.