COURTESY PHOTO Five-year-old Alan Pak awaits a hospital exam with his mother, Soo. The child has a rare bone disease and a severe blood disorder, which require a bone marrow transplant.

Boy needs holiday
miracle

A marrow transplant will
let the 5-year-old regain
a normal life

It's unusual that a 5-year-old and his parents want the same thing for Christmas.

Just a year ago, little Alan Pak was healthy, rambunctious and could hardly be kept inside. Today, he's thin and listless: A rare bone disorder coupled with a severe blood disease keeps him from playing with others his age or even going to school.

Alan's only hope for survival is a bone marrow transplant, and that is what he wants for Christmas. His parents say they are hoping that the spirit of the season will push people to increase the chances of saving the child's life by signing up with Hawaii's bone marrow registry.

"This is a Christmas gift for Alan," said Soo Pak, Alan's mother. "It's our only hope."

The St. Francis Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry held a drive for Alan yesterday at the Christ United Methodist Church. About 50 people signed up, and it could take up to three months to determine whether any are a match, said donor recruitment coordinator Roy Yonashiro.

Alan was unable to find a match among relatives, so donors of Korean ancestry are the next best hope. But he could find a match outside his racial or ethnic group, Yonashiro stressed.

"Until you look at something like this ... you don't realize how lucky you are," said Colin Yu, one of those who signed up.

Alan's mother said that when he is not at home, he is at the hospital. The 5-year-old has taken up video games to pass the time. "He's a happy boy," she said, "but when he's sick, he's crying."

Holding back tears, she added, "Me and my husband, we live because of Alan."

Last year, the child was diagnosed with a rare bone disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta TYPE 4. Earlier this year, he developed severe aplastic anemia, a blood disease. Alan's doctors say a bone marrow transplant could cure both disorders.

There will be two more drives for Alan. One is scheduled for Maui sometime next month. There is also one planned for the Korean Festival on Jan. 15 at Kapiolani Park.

Donors must be between 18 and 60 years old and in good general health. They need only register once. For more information, call the registry at 547-6154 or visit their Web site www.stfrancis.org.