Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

A call to help English teacher
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/

Korea`s expat blogging community is working to find donors of a rare type of blood for an English teacher in Busan.
Twenty-three-year-old "Amber," who has O negative blood, has a low platelet count. Viral encephalitis is suspected as the cause of her condition, and doctors say she will die without transfusions.

According to an e-mail sent out by coworker Erin Kerr yesterday morning, Amber was conscious at the time.

Kerr said three donors had been found as of yesterday, but more were needed.

Kerr said that the donors had been turned away because they had been in countries where malaria was prevalent.

She urges all expats to find out if they have the blood required. Only O negative blood can be used, but people with other types are asked to spread the news, as they may know a suitable donor.

Amber has been admitted to Inje University Pusan Paik Hospital. The hospital is near Gaegum Station on Subway Line 2, and the blood service clinic is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. More information is available at the "Visitors to Busan" group on Facebook.

Since Amber requires platelets, the site says that donors should have their blood separated in order to donate. Friends and colleagues are working to find a way for people outside of Busan to give blood.

Korean law requires donors to have lived in Korea for more than one year, Kerr says. This makes finding donors more difficult, since many Westerners in Korea are on one-year visas.

Some blood centers also do not accept blood from people who have lived in Britain in the last 19 years, due to fears of mad cow disease.

Type O negative blood is far more common in blacks and Caucasians than in Asians. One in 15 Westerners has O negative blood, whereas less than 0.1 percent of Koreans do.

Despite being less common than other types, O negative blood is highly sought after by blood services because it can be donated to anybody. However, people with O negative blood can only accept blood of their own type.

By Paul Kerry

([email protected])



2008.10.15

[wylies99]

Anyone else get notification on facebook?

[bluelake]

Yeah, I received a notification on it. I have O-neg, but I doubt I could go to Busan.

[valkyrian2]

Being discussed here:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=135956&highlight=amber