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S'pore actor Nick Teo donates stem cells, 'really glad' to have saved stranger's life
The process was much simpler than he had thought.
October 22, 2026, 06:28 PM
Photos from Nick Teo's Instagram
Singapore actor Nick Teo shared that he recently decided to donate his stem cells, and ended up saving the life of someone he had never met.
In an Instagram post on Oct. 21, the Mediacorp star revealed that he had signed up for the procedure "a while back" at the encouragement of his wife and fellow actor Hong Ling, who also donated her stem cells.
A stem cell transplant can help treat people with certain blood disorders including leukaemia.
Simpler than expected
Teo addressed some rumours and concerns about stem cell donation.
Among them is the concern that stem cell donation affects the donor's fertility, which Teo said he understands but went ahead anyway.
"Here I am, about to start a family of my own," he added.
The 37-year-old is expecting his first child with Hong Ling, after she experienced a miscarriage in 2025.
About how scary the procedure might be, he shared that although he was initially nervous, he realised afterwards that it was "much simpler" and not as scary as he had thought.
It began with giving himself a few injections to increase the stem cells in his blood. Hong Long helped him with the first jab.
"The actual donation was a little like donating blood," lasting about six hours, he shared.
Life-changing
Teo felt that it was "six hours well spent", using a small part of his life to give someone else a second chance at theirs.
After taking a few days to recover, he was back at work, even filming action scenes.
He encouraged others thinking of donating their stem cells to give it a go.
"A simple swab could lead to something life-changing. You never know whose life you might save!"
