A 26-year-old woman in China's Henan province has donated hematopoietic stem cells to an 8-year-old boy in Argentina, Chinanews.com reported on Monday. She is the first Chinese person to voluntarily donate stem cells to an Argentinean citizen.

The woman, Wu Jia, is from the city of Kaifeng. She joined the China Marrow Donor Program in 2013 during a blood drive, and was informed last November that she had been successfully matched with a patient in need.

Knowing how difficult it is to find a match, Wu said she feels very lucky to have been matched with the child in South America. “It's lucky for me to be the first Chinese donor to donate hematopoietic stem cells to a patient from Argentina,” she added. She also wished the boy a speedy recovery.

The volunteer who came to China in order to fetch Wu’s stem cells praised what she had done, saying that she is a kind and brave girl who will save a life with her generosity.

The Red Cross Society of Henan started the donation of hematopoietic stem cells in 2003; now, nearly 107,000 donors have participated in the donation program, and 543 successful donations have been made. Henan is the province with the most donors in China.

Wu is the 17th donor in Henan to donate hematopoietic stem cells to a foreigner.