The priceless gift of a young man who passed away at the age of 22 | Gia Lai Electronic Newspaper

In his 22 years of life, Nguyen Vo Anh Tuan spent more than 10 years in a hospital bed. Before leaving this life, Tuan left behind an extremely precious gift: the corneas from his eyes.

Early morning of April 30, 2023. The sun had just risen from the sea, Ms. Vo Thi Suong and her daughter Anh Tu were present at Tuy Hoa station, their hearts fluttering when they saw the train appear from the North. Among the passengers getting off at Tuy Hoa station was a young couple, holding their child, who was about a year old.

Ms. Suong quickly recognized the familiar face and figure and called out: "My child!".

Ms. Vo Thi Suong (second from right) with her daughter Nguyen Vo Anh Tu and her son Tran Phuc Tan's family. (Photo provided by the family)

The pain of a family

At first glance, everyone thought this was a family reunion. That's right, Ms. Suong welcomed Tan and his wife and children from Quang Tri to Phu Yen to visit his mother. Tan was not born by her, but in Tan's eyes there was Tuan's image, there was Tuan's soul. Her son's cornea helped Tan's eyes see the sunlight. To make up for his mother's pain at losing her son, Tan called Ms. Suong "mom".

In the past, Tuan was a smiling child. Suong and her husband were very happy to have two healthy, lovely children. But that simple happiness quickly disappeared. When Tuan was 7 years old, his legs began to weaken; after walking for a while, Tuan had to sit down to rest because his legs were weak and painful. Suong and her husband took their son to the hospital for examination and were shocked to learn that Tuan had Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The doctor explained that this is a genetic neuromuscular disease, mainly occurring in boys, the first sign is muscle weakness at the base of the limbs, then the disease gradually progresses to the muscles further away from the base of the limbs, the respiratory muscles...

At some point, the child will no longer be able to walk. Eventually, both smooth and heart muscles will be affected. People with Duchenne muscular dystrophy usually die of respiratory failure or cardiomyopathy between the ages of 15 and 25.

Unable to let their child gradually move towards death, Suong and her husband gathered their little money, borrowed from relatives and friends and took their child to major hospitals in the country. From Phu Yen, they knocked on the doors of hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, then went to Da Nang, Hue and even to the National Children's Hospital in Hanoi , hoping to meet talented doctors or find a miracle to help their child recover.

No miracle happened! At 11 years old, Tuan could no longer walk.

But the cruelty of fate did not stop there. In the same year - 2009 - Ms. Suong's husband suffered a stroke and passed away.

The salary of a teacher at Sen Vang Kindergarten (Tuy Hoa City) could not cover the debt and take care of her two children, so Ms. Suong had to... sell her house. The three of them had to move from one boarding house to another, because the landlord was worried that the bedridden boy would die in their house. A few years later, the mother and her children finally settled down in a small boarding house in Ward 9, Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province.

Ms. Vo Thi Suong with her son in the last days of Nguyen Vo Anh Tuan.

Tuan's heart

Having to lie in one place, his limbs shriveled and contracted, Tuan still looked at life with clear, passionate eyes. Deep inside his sick body, Tuan's heart yearned to do something useful for life.

One day, Ms. Suong heard her son quietly express his desire to donate his organs and tissues after he passed away. Tuan whispered: "Mom, I saw on TV that there were unfortunate lives. And I saw little Hai An, even though she was only 7 years old, before she died, she gave away a part of her body to save people with incurable diseases. Please allow me to do that, Mom." Hearing her son say that, she could not hold back her tears and choked up.

Thinking and then she decided to accompany her son. Thanks to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Van, former President of the Phu Yen Provincial Labor Federation, Ms. Suong connected with the National Coordination Center for Human Organ Transplantation ( Ministry of Health ). In April 2018, she and her son were trembling, holding in their hands 2 "Organ and tissue donation registration cards", on the cards were the words "I volunteer to donate my organs and tissues after death/brain death without any conditions". That year, Tuan was 20 years old.

The wheel of fate still silently turns on the hospital bed of a young man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. On the evening of February 19, 2020, Tuan's illness became worse; Ms. Suong took her son to Phu Yen General Hospital for emergency treatment and held back her tears to present the "Organ and Tissue Donation Registration Card". Meritorious Doctor - Specialist II Doctor Pham Hieu Vinh, then the hospital director, was moved: "Tuan knew he was sick and wanted to donate his organs to help save others. That was a very noble act".

For nearly 3 months, doctors at the Intensive Care and Anti-Poison Department of Phu Yen General Hospital tried their best to keep Tuan breathing and his heartbeat. For Ms. Suong and her daughter, those were heartbreaking days.

In the early morning of May 18, 2020, Nguyen Vo Anh Tuan breathed his last.

Receiving urgent news from Phu Yen General Hospital, the National Coordination Center for Human Organ Transplantation mobilized a team of doctors from the Eye Center - Hue Central Hospital to immediately go to Phu Yen to retrieve the cornea that Tuan donated.

The medical team took the cornea donated by Nguyen Vo Anh Tuan.

The gift of light

Tuan seemed to be sleeping soundly while the doctor carefully and gently received the precious gift: Two very thin membranes outside the pupil - where light passes through, helping the visual cells in the retina to perceive images; the images are transmitted to the brain and the person perceives objects and the world around them. After 30 minutes, the medical team completed the work.

Tuan seemed to be in a deep sleep when the stretcher slowly left the Intensive Care - Anti-Poison Department to where the hospital car was waiting to take him home. Doctor Bui Van Luu (Eye Center - Hue Central Hospital) said: Tuan's cornea was kept in a preservative solution at 2 degrees Celsius and sent to the Eye Bank to evaluate the quality and density of endothelial cells... After that, the doctor tested Tuan's blood formula to rule out any diseases before deciding to transplant it to someone else.

Tran Phuc Tan (born in 1992; in Hai Lang district, Quang Tri province) is one of two people who received a corneal transplant from Tuan. Tan suffered from a corneal disease since childhood and had been treated in the hospital many times. In February 2020, his cornea was perforated, Tan was hospitalized, extremely worried and self-conscious.

Three months later, Tan's family was delighted to hear that Tuan had donated a cornea. On May 23, 2020, the Eye Center - Hue Central Hospital performed a corneal transplant for Tan. On May 28, 2020, Tuan's remaining cornea was transplanted to Mr. Hoang Van Thang (born in 1956; in Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh province). Mr. Thang had corneal scarring and corneal ulcers and had been waiting for a transplant for nearly 2 years.

49 days after Tuan passed away, Tan's family and Mr. Thang's family went to Phu Yen to burn incense in gratitude to Tuan. Mrs. Le Thi Han - Tan's mother - was moved: "Thanks to Tuan donating his corneas, my son's eyes are what they are today. My family went to Phu Yen to burn incense for Tuan, visit Suong and her mother and strengthen family ties. Suong also accepted Tan as her son."

Mr. Thang said: "We came here to thank Tuan and his family for their kindness. We also thank the doctors who successfully transplanted our corneas. There is nothing more precious than the gift that Tuan gave to me and Tan."

Give to save other lives

According to information from the National Coordination Center for Human Organ Transplantation, as of the end of March 2023, there were 70,122 people nationwide who registered to donate tissues and organs after death or brain death. However, the number of people receiving tissue and organ transplants is still low due to the limited number of actual donors. Many people do not donate tissues and organs because of the belief that when they die, their bodies must be intact.

How meaningful it would be to give someone a part of your body after your heart has stopped beating, your brain has died and your body has returned to dust. Give it away to save other lives, other lives.

Nguyen Vo Anh Tuan passed away at the age of 22, but the corneas that Tuan donated still receive light every day, helping 2 other people live meaningful lives. It is a precious gift from a young man with a heart as beautiful as light. Tuan and other organ and tissue donors have shown that in life there are many beautiful things that come from a heart that loves people.

PARTNER UNIT

According to YEN LAN (NLDO)

Original article link: https://nld.com.vn/ban-doc/cuoc-thi-viet-long-tot-quanh-ta-mon-qua-vo-gia-cua-chang-trai-ra-di-o-tuoi-22-20230518210203305.htm

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