Emotional sharing of a mother whose child donated corneas to save two other lives

Arriving early at the Tissue Bank, Hanoi Eye Hospital 2, Ms. Nguyen Tran Thuy Duong (39 years old, Hanoi) busily prepared for the new day. Her job as a consultant, mobilizing tissue, organ and cornea donation brings her greater meaning than anything else. This work is also her way of continuing the story of her daughter Hai An, spreading inspiration and kindness to the community.

“I believe that when you work with all your heart, difficulties will become motivation. Although the work of consulting and mobilizing tissue, organ, and cornea donation can be difficult, the meaning it brings is priceless,” said Ms. Duong.

After her daughter passed away, it took Ms. Duong a long time to stabilize her mind and return to life. She studied medicine and after graduating, she became a kindergarten health worker. Besides taking care of children's health, Ms. Duong also participated in organ and tissue donation clubs to save lives, spreading her little daughter's story to the community.

Ms. Duong advises participants to register for cornea donation. (Photo: NVCC)

She is available to anyone who needs advice on organ donation registration or who needs to convince their loved ones to agree to organ donation after death. She hopes that with her medical knowledge, she can explain to people more about organ donation so that more lives can be saved.

Recently, Ms. Duong quit her job as a medical staff at a kindergarten and became a consultant for organ, tissue, and cornea donation at the Tissue Bank, Hanoi Eye Hospital 2.

Although she has only recently started her work as a consultant for organ, tissue, and cornea donation, there are many stories that she will always remember. One was a 20-year-old patient who unfortunately suffered from keratoconus, which caused vision loss. The patient’s family was in despair, but thanks to a cornea donated by a stranger, the child was able to see again.

“Seeing the smiles and tears of happiness of the patient and his family after the successful surgery, I was very moved. This story is not only a testament to the miracle of medicine and compassion, but also a great source of motivation for me to continue to contribute and help more people,” Ms. Duong said emotionally.

She also remembers the story of a 65-year-old woman from Yen Bai who 10 years ago suffered from corneal dystrophy and could not see people or objects around her. She always wanted a corneal transplant to regain her sight, but this solution was very difficult to implement because the rate of donors in Vietnam was extremely rare, requiring a long wait.

On September 25, the woman received a cornea transplant from a deceased donor. After the surgery, the moment the doctor removed the bandage from her eye, the patient burst into tears of joy when she saw everyone around her clearly.

To spread cornea donation stories like Hai An's, in addition to working at the tissue bank, she also participates in many social activities, sharing her child's story with everyone. She hopes to create a community of organ donation families in the near future - a place to help people better understand organ donation and transplantation, thereby eliminating prejudice.

Ms. Thuy Duong shares the story of baby Hai An at an event to promote organ and tissue donation. (Photo: NVCC)

Help your child fulfill his wish

In September 2017, Ms. Duong discovered that her daughter Hai An had unusual symptoms such as a crooked mouth and double vision in both eyes, so she took her to acupuncture. After treatment, the symptoms of the disease subsided but not completely. At this time, the doctors advised her to take her daughter for an X-ray to treat the root cause.

After going to many hospitals, Ms. Duong received the same result: Hai An had a brain tumor, the tumor was pressing on the nerves. During the days of treatment, the mother often told her child about organ donation to sick people. One time, when she was still conscious, Hai An confided to her mother , "I want my organs to live on in another person's body when I die."

On the afternoon of August 22, 2018, baby Hai An passed away when she was only 3 months old. Ms. Duong called the organ coordination center to register to donate her child's organs to people with chronic diseases. Due to the regulation of only accepting organs from people 18 years of age or older, the hospital could only accept the baby's cornea. In the evening of the same day, doctors from the Central Eye Hospital came to the baby's house to receive the cornea.

The noble act of Hai An and her mother moved many people. The movement of organ and cornea donation spread throughout the country, the number of people registering and donating organs increased rapidly. Ms. Duong was invited by many media channels, educational organizations, and charities to share and inspire. Hai An's story was also included in poems, essays, and exams at many different levels of education.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Phuc, Deputy Director of the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center, shared that Ms. Duong was very brave, overcoming the pain of losing a loved one to spread her beautiful story to the community.

While organ donation activities are growing, Ms. Duong still quietly shares humane stories about organ donation so that more and more people can register to donate organs. "What she does is very admirable," said Mr. Phuc.

Nhu Loan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/chia-se-xuc-dong-cua-nguoi-me-co-con-hien-giac-mac-cuu-hai-cuoc-doi-khac-ar906987.html