Organ donation is considered a humanitarian gesture, contributing to saving many patients. However, after successful transplants, the donor's family still faces loss and public pressure. Although noble, organ donation has not been recognized with understanding from many people.
In a small house with only her grandmother, mother, and younger brother, the 23-year-old girl recalled the last moments by her father's hospital bed - a male organ donor (49 years old, residing in Ho Chi Minh City). After an accident at home, the father was transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in a state of traumatic brain injury. After being hospitalized for 3 days, he had cardiac arrest, and was then resuscitated for his heart to beat again. Despite being actively treated by doctors, his life at that time was very fragile and at risk of dying. The severe injury caused him to fall into a deep coma and brain death.
Before her father's passing, the daughter, the only relative to be admitted to the hospital room, suppressed her grief and proposed to donate her father's organs to save people. Right that night, she called her mother and younger brother to ask for their opinion. Before that proposal, the family agreed. The decision of the 23-year-old girl made the doctors extremely surprised, touched and admired.
The mother shared that she had never known or dared to think about organ donation before. Receiving her daughter's call at 2 am, she was told that her husband's brain was dead, only internal organs remained. Until now, when recalling it, she is still choked up: "The days in the hospital, my daughter seemed to have prepared mentally, firmly facing reality. On the last day of seeing off her father, everyone saw her strong and resilient, but I knew she tried to restrain herself a lot. Although sad, my daughter at that time did good things for her father, for everyone. She made decisions quickly, maturely, and thoroughly, so the whole family was united.
After doctors at Cho Ray Hospital gave careful advice, the donor's family agreed to donate heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and corneas. The organ distribution process took place strictly, through professional steps to ensure that the donor's body was respected and solemn. From the above donated organ source, 7 people were saved.
Wiping away tears, the girl's grandmother confided: "I felt that was what my son wanted. Everything went smoothly, the whole family agreed immediately, without hesitation. When someone wondered why he made such a decision, I just gently replied:'That's a good thing'.
On February 5, 2026, a male organ donor patient (49 years old, residing in Ho Chi Minh City) was posthumously awarded the Medal "For People's Health" by the Ministry of Health.
