Helping People Even After Dying

KUALA LUMPUR: A hit-and-run victim, who succumbed to head injuries after four days in Kluang Hospital, has not died in vain.

The family of Lim Kai Ting, 17, (pic) fulfilled her last wish and donated her corneas and bones on June 11.

She is believed to have been hit by a car in a wedding convoy while riding her motorcycle on June 7.

She had wanted to sign up as an organ donor along with her siblings and parents but could not do so because she was not yet 18 when she died.

Her body was cremated yesterday.

Special assistant to Johor Mentri Besar Gan Peng Siew, an organ pledger himself , helped the family to contact doctors on their wish.

This was the first time that Kluang Hospital had such a donation.

Lim, whose tissues were retrieved after her heart stopped, was one of five organ and tissue donors during the recent two-week school holidays.

The gifts of life from these generous Malaysians – four road accident victims, including Lim, and one from sudden death – benefited more than 30 people.

Six kidneys retrieved from three dead donors – a 17-year-old boy in Kuantan, a 53-year-old housewife in Ipoh and a 37-year-old hawker from Kajang – were transplanted into six renal failure patients.

Of the six patients, two were teenagers, aged 16 and 14 years respectively, while the others had been on dialysis for between seven to 13 years.

“The feedback I received is that all six transplanted kidneys are functioning well,” said National Transplant Resource Centre procurement chief Dr Lela Yasmin Mansor.

Four pairs of corneas would enable eight patients to see. Two had been transplanted onto patients in Hospital Kuala Lumpur and another two in Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Dr Lela said the family members of the deceased had initiated the donation and she was moved that public awareness on organ donation was at last showing results.

“We will be going to hospitals to give talks to enhance organ donation awareness,” she said.

Beginning May 28, the tissue organ procurement (TOP) team has crossed the country to retrieve organs and tissues from deceased donors – flying on mercy flights into Kuantan and travelling by road to Ipoh and Kajang.

The retrieval of Lim’s organ and tissues was carried out by the Johor Baru TOP team.

“Hopefully the number of donors will continue to grow,’’ said Dr Lela.

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Isn't this a nice thing?

Yes, of course the family of the 5 people who passed away would be sad, would be mourning. But can you imagine the fact that 30 other families are rejoicing because their loved one is now finally able to see/not dying from renal failure anymore?

I have always supported organ donation. I mean, if one is already dead, the absence of an organ is not going to make any difference to them, right?

Just imagine if you are the one with the sick relative who really, really needs a kidney. Won't you be hoping that somebody would donate one of theirs? Won't you secretly hope that somewhere out there, someone passes on and decides to give your loved one a kidney?

Unfortunately, I am not an organ donor yet. I have not yet register myself. Whenever I think about it, I keep putting it off. It doesn't seem that important at that moment, somehow. Irresponsible, I know. But those close to me know that I would like to be a donor, if ever such a situation takes place. I hope that would suffice. However I should get myself registered I guess.

Think about it - why not do one last good deed before you leave the world?