Quest Seeks Life for Vietnamese Youth
Dr. Vasilious Berdoukas left for Vietnam on Saturday to look for the brother or sister of a 16-year-old Vietnamese youth dying of a bone marrow disease.
The trek is Thoi Le’s wish--perhaps his last if it does not come true.
The boy will die within the year if a proper donor is not found, and his brother or sister may hold the key to survival.
Berdoukas, a Los Angeles Childrens Hospital physician whose quest will take him to Da Nang, said the bone marrow transplant must come from a sister or brother to have any real chance of success. If he finds Le’s relatives--and he does have an address for them--Berdoukas will attempt to take them to Bangkok for blood tests to determine their suitability as donors.
Four other brothers, who live in the Los Angeles area, were tested by a hematologist several weeks ago, soon after Le was hospitalized with aplastic anemia. None of them qualified as donors.
“His wish is to live, and this is his only chance,” said Mike Lewis, board chairman of the Make a Wish Foundation, sponsor of the search.
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