Five Years After Transplant for Severe Aplastic Anemia: Back to School and Now at University

Summary: At 16, Xiaojie was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) after developing bleeding gums and severe abdominal pain. With his condition critical, he underwent an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant from his father in February 2021. During treatment, he faced persistent pain and skin graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), but gradually recovered with the support of his medical team and family. Two years later, he returned to school, completed high school, and earned a place at his dream university. Now, five years after transplant, he is back to everyday life. His story is one of perseverance, return, and growing forward - and a source of hope for others living with aplastic anemia.

In January 2021, during winter break in his first year of high school, 16-year-old Xiaojie noticed that his gums had been bleeding for several days. At first, he did not think much of it. Then one night, he woke from sleep with severe abdominal pain. An emergency hospital visit led to a diagnosis of severe aplastic anemia (SAA). The illness came on suddenly, confronting a teenager with a life-threatening challenge he had never imagined. The following month, Xiaojie underwent an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant at GoBroad Shanghai Zhaxin Hospital, with his father as the donor.

After more than 20 difficult days in the transplant unit, Xiaojie was finally able to leave protective isolation. That day felt brighter than usual. But an unexpected challenge followed: intense pain shot through his body from head to toe, almost like an electric current. Around the clock, the medical team cared for him with both expertise and compassion, helping him through one painful day at a time. Gradually, the pain eased and his strength returned, and he was eventually discharged. Even then, a lingering ache stayed with him on and off for nearly a year.

For the next two years, Xiaojie returned to the hospital regularly for follow-up visits, always accompanied by his family. As his health steadily improved, he was finally able to put on his backpack again, return to school, and pick up the studies that illness had interrupted. More than two years of life may have been put on hold, but his determination had not faded.

He went on to finish high school, perform well in China's national college entrance examination, and earn a place at the university he had hoped to attend.

Today, Xiaojie is a second-year university student. At the five-year milestone after transplant, his doctor presented him with a commemorative pin recognizing that he had reached the milestone of clinical cure. It honors everything he has come through and carries a wish for many healthy years ahead.

Xiaojie also chose to share his story - a journey shaped by pain and hope, support and growth - with other patients still finding their way forward. He believes every difficult journey deserves to be seen, and one person's story may become a light for someone else in a dark moment.

 February 2026: Xiaojie with Dr. Ying Jiang and Nurse Manager Xia Yan

- Patient Q&A -

Q1: Can you take us back to when you were diagnosed? What symptoms were you having?

A: It was winter break during my first year of high school. My gums had been bleeding for several days, but I did not think much of it. Then one night, I suddenly developed severe abdominal pain. I went to the hospital and was diagnosed with aplastic anemia.

Looking back, I was in shock. I mainly remember how anxious my family was and how urgently they were trying to find the right hospital. My platelet count was already extremely low, so the situation was actually very dangerous.

With my family beside me, we first went to Professor Wang Chun's clinic, and I was admitted that same day. Dr. Ying Jiang was my attending physician. She was very clear that I should undergo an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant as soon as possible. Treatment moved quickly. HLA matching was done with my father, and before long I entered the transplant unit.

At that point, we really did not have many options. Transplant was essentially the only treatment that offered a way forward.

Q2: How did you get through your time in the transplant unit? Did it feel lonely without your parents by your side?

A: Before I went in, I thought it would simply be a different place to rest and that nothing would be too unusual. Once treatment started, the physical reactions made me realize it was much harder than I had expected. My family could not stay with me, and when I felt unwell, I sometimes felt lonely too.

I did not want my parents to worry, and I often felt too unwell to reply to my mother's messages right away. But during the brief visiting time each day, she would always come and see me through the glass. We did not need to say anything. I could see the concern and encouragement in her eyes, and that quiet support gave me strength to keep going.

I am not very good at expressing my feelings, but I always knew how much my parents loved and supported me. When things were hard, I would tell myself: I have to get through this.

In some ways, the days in the transplant unit passed quickly. The doctors, nurses, and caregivers were always there, looking after me and helping me make it through the hardest period one day at a time.

Q3: What was the hardest part of treatment for you?

A: During recovery after transplant, my skin became darker and was repeatedly itchy, and I also had severe pain throughout my body. For a while, I needed pain-relief injections almost every day just to get some relief. The doctors explained that the donor cells from my father and my body were learning to coexist, and that the graft-versus-host reaction was part of this 'conversation' inside my body.

The pain often made it hard to eat or sleep, but I kept telling myself: hold on, get through this, and things will get better. After leaving the transplant unit, I remained in the hospital for more than three months. As the pain gradually eased, I was finally able to go home and return for regular follow-up visits.

The pain did not disappear completely right away. It was more like a slowly receding tide that would still come back from time to time. It took almost a year after transplant before it finally went away for good.

Q4: When were you able to return to school?

A: About two years after transplant, I had mostly recovered. At follow-up, my doctors felt I was ready to go back to class, and I felt I could keep up too. So I returned to the first year of high school and continued the studies I had had to put on hold.

Walking back onto campus after more than two years brought up so many emotions. There was a deep sense of relief, and the joy of seeing sunlight again after a long storm. Eventually, all of those feelings settled into a sense of calm.

Before I got sick, I put a lot of pressure on myself academically and always wanted to do my best. After returning to school, I became much more balanced. I realized that health comes first, and grades were no longer my number-one priority. That did not mean I stopped working hard.

I have always believed that illness is only one chapter in a life. If it could not break me, then it would make me stronger. I graduated two years later than my classmates, but I still earned a place at the university I wanted to attend.

Now I am a second-year university student. I go to class, take part in activities, and eat out with friends just like everyone else. I am fairly disciplined in daily life. I do not have strict food restrictions, but I usually choose clean, healthy food. Every now and then I might have a skewer or two of barbecue, but I keep it moderate.

Q5: What does reaching the five-year 'graduation' milestone mean to you, and what do you hope for next?

A: Looking back on these years, I feel deeply grateful. My mother was always there, taking care of every detail. My father donated the stem cells that helped give me my life back. My grandparents did everything they could to prepare food I was able to eat at the time. I remember what each of them did for me.

During my time in the transplant unit, one of the caregivers also gave me a lot of warmth and support. She patiently passed messages back and forth between my mother and me and carefully handled the food my family brought. I am also deeply grateful to Dr. Ying Jiang and her team. Their expertise and attentive medical care helped me regain my health.

It has not been an easy road. I could only make it to where I am today because so many people stood by me and supported me along the way. And now, I have finally passed this five-year 'final exam'!

It closes one chapter and opens the next.

For the rest of my life, I will remember that I have already been through a life-or-death experience. Whatever comes next, I will face it with more courage and more calm.