On July 14, Xanh Pon General Hospital successfully performed a multi-organ transplant from a brain-dead patient after receiving the consent of the family. Not only was it a professional success, the organ donation also spread a profound humanistic message: "Giving is forever".
Noble decision in a moment of pain
The organ donor is Mr. N.D. D (49 years old, Hanoi), suffering from severe traumatic brain injury after a traffic accident. Despite being actively resuscitated by doctors and undergoing two major surgeries, severe brain damage prevented him from surviving. After completing the diagnosis procedures according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health, the patient was diagnosed brain death.
When determining the patient's condition, doctors and nurses of Xanh Pon General Hospital met and consulted the family about the meaning of donating tissues and organs to save people. Initially, relatives were extremely painful and had difficulty accepting the truth. However, with the dedication, understanding and companionship of the medical team, the family made an emotional decision: Donate the healthy organs of relatives to save other patients waiting for transplants.
Nurse Dinh Thi Thu Nga - Social Work Department, Xanh Pon General Hospital - said that the patient had been in three accidents and lived with his elderly parents. His wife passed away 8 years ago, he worked as a freelancer and has a son born in 2006 who is currently studying at university.
Initially, the family never thought about organ donation. But after being explained about the severe condition, no longer being able to recover and the very high risk of brain death, relatives gradually understood and considered it," nurse Nga shared.
7 tissues and organs are distributed to hospitals to save people
Immediately after receiving the consent of the family, Xanh Pon General Hospital coordinated with the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center and specialized units to implement the process of taking, coordinating and transporting organs.
From the donor, doctors obtained 7 precious tissues and organs including the heart, liver, two kidneys and two corneas.
In which, the heart was transferred to the University Medical Center Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City; the liver was divided to be transplanted to patients at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital and National Children's Hospital; two corneas were transferred to Dong Do Hospital; two kidneys were transplanted to patients at Xanh Pon General Hospital itself.
Dozens of doctors and nurses from many specialties have urgently coordinated to ensure that donated organs are preserved and transported in optimal time, opening up life opportunities for many patients waiting for transplants.
You leave, but life will continue
Sharing about organ donation counseling work, nurse Dinh Thi Thu Nga said that each case is a special story, requiring not only strict professional procedures but also empathy and spiritual companionship with the patient's family.
No words can completely soothe the pain of losing a loved one. We always try to listen, share and respect every decision of the family. What moves us the most is that many families have chosen to turn loss into a gift of life. That is a decision stemming from love and compassion" - nurse Nga said.
Choking up when mentioning her older brother, Ms. N.T. T - the younger sister of the organ donor - said that the whole family was almost devastated when they received the news that he had no chance of recovery.
“We just hoped for a miracle. But when the doctors explained about brain death and the meaning of organ donation, the family thought that if he could not be kept, at least he could still continue to live in a different way,” Ms. T shared.
According to Ms. T, although this is an extremely difficult decision, the family believes that their loved ones will also choose to help others if they can still speak out.
We hope that his heart, liver, kidneys or eyes will bring hope to patients waiting for transplants. He is gone, but life will continue in other bodies," Ms. T said emotionally.
The successful multi-organ donation not only affirmed the professional capacity of Xanh Pon General Hospital in resuscitation, organ extraction and transplantation, but also contributed to strongly spreading the humanistic meaning of the movement to donate tissues and organs after brain death.
From the passing of one person, 7 patients have had more opportunities to live, to see light and continue to write unfinished dreams. That story once again shows that life can be extended by love, compassion and the spirit of sharing between people.
