P's home in Long Son commune of Vung Tau City

The technicians and others at Ba Ria Hospital who were there were unable to hold back their tears.

T.H.P, 24, became brain dead after a traffic accident. Knowing her son’s wish to donate organs to save others (P had not registered for organ donations before), Hong suppressed the pain of separation to comply with her son’s will.

At noon on May 4, after two hours of surgery, P’s heart, two kidneys and liver were donated.

T.H.P’s funeral was organized on May 5. People mentioned his name with gentle and affectionate smiles.

“P. was a cheerful and humorous child. When I felt sad, he would joke, 'Oh my god, you act like you are in sad movies all the time' to make me laugh. He was very good. I have never heard anyone complain about him. So, I did not want him to see sadness at his funeral,” Hong said.

P was a disadvantaged boy as he was born without knowing his father. The life was so hard that Hong had to leave her son at the pagoda to spend time working for money. Later, when her financial capability got better, she came to the pagoda and asked the monk to bring P home.

The young man was obedient and gentle. After two years of serving in the army, he grew up and became more mature.

During his military service , when his brother and friends came to the island to visit him, he expressed his willingness to donate his organs if he died. No one thought that this would be the final wish of the 24-year-old.

“I was happy when hearing about my son’s wish to donate organs to save people. How can I disagree with such a lofty wish?” Hong said.

“I talked to my son at the hospital the way we used to do. I thanked him for coming into the world and being my son. I also thanked him for bringing happiness to other families,” she said.

“All of my family members believe that our son is not dead, but lives in another world. We will keep watch over him,” Hong added with a shimmer in her sad eyes.

The mother’s wish

Attending the funeral of P, the team of medical workers from the Cho Ray and Ba Ria Hospitals felt touched when witnessing the mother’s love for her son.

Vietnam has 20 organ transplant centers. As of December 31, 2020, the total number of organ transplant cases had reached 5,587 nationwide, including 5.255 kidney transplant cases.

Hong's words and messages to the son touched the heart of every person there.

Asked about her wishes, Hong said she just wanted to know exactly the time her son ‘went away’. She wanted her boy’s body to be washed after surgery. She wanted her son to wear the clothes he liked the most.

“I put a shirt, a pair of trousers and a pair of long socks on him. I looked at him for the last time, caressed his hands and feet, and his body which was no longer warm. Just this was enough to make me happy,” she said.

During the conversation , the mother was resilient, but in the end, she could not stop her tears of pain.

“The death of a child is a great loss to amother. I tried my best, but I could not hold my pain,” the mother said.

Facing criticism from many people for donating his organs to save people, the mother said she would do the right thing. She believes that it is better to inform people about it, because it is impossible to keep the secret forever.

Dr Du Thi Ngoc Thu, PhD, from the Cho Ray Hospital’s organ transplant coordination unit, said that after the transplantation surgery, P’s heart beat again in the chest of a recipient.

The function of the two kidneys and the liver also improved. The hospital has informed P’s family about the transplant cases.

Vietnam has 20 organ transplant centers. As of December 31, 2020, the total number of organ transplant cases had reached 5,587 nationwide, including 5.255 kidney transplant cases. 

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