Before passing away, an 86-year-old man in Hoa Binh told his children and grandchildren about his wish to donate all of his organs to help patients revive their lives.
On November 30, when he took his last breath, his family and the Hoa Binh Red Cross informed the Eye Bank, Hanoi Eye Hospital 2. The staff of this unit went to Hoa Binh to receive the old man's corneas.
The cornea collection process took place quickly, witnessed by representatives of Hanoi Eye Hospital 2, Hoa Binh Provincial Red Cross, and Tan Thinh Ward People's Committee, Hoa Binh City.
Tissue bank specialists take corneas from donors. (Photo: BVCC)
According to Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc Anh - Vice President of the Hoa Binh Province Red Cross, the old man is a shining example for the community. His actions have inspired many people. This is the first case of corneal donation in the province, although sad, the family and the locality are honored and proud.
“That is a noble gesture, a shining example of kindness, demonstrating the power of love and sharing in life,” said Ms. Anh.
Currently, Vietnam has about 300,000 people who are blind due to corneal diseases and need corneal transplant surgery to regain their sight. At the Central Eye Hospital, the waiting list for transplants has nearly 1,000 people, and this number is increasing over time. Since the beginning of 2024, the Central Eye Hospital has performed more than 60 corneal transplants.
Since the first cornea donation in April 2007 - Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa in Con Thoi, Kim Son, Ninh Binh donated her cornea after her death, the whole country has recorded 963 donors, mainly concentrated in Ninh Binh province (437 donors) and Nam Dinh province (332 donors).
Corneal transplant surgery in Vietnam has reached an advanced and modern level, with a large and highly skilled team of surgeons, but the source of corneas is scarce, and the amount of donations in the past has only met a very small part of the actual need.
Therefore, hundreds of thousands of patients are living blind, waiting for the only source of corneas from deceased donors.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cu-ong-86-tuoi-la-nguoi-hien-tang-giac-mac-dau-tien-o-hoa-binh-ar910746.html
Comment (0)