Doctor Hoang conducts the surgery to take An’s cornea.—Photo courtesy of the Vietnam National Co-ordinating Centre for Human Organ Transplantation. (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA)- Nguyen Hai An, 7, from Hanoi’s Nam Tu Liem district, took her last breath onFebruary 22. But before she passed away in her K Hospital sickbed, she and hermother agreed that she would give her cornea to people who could use it.
An became the second-youngest person to donate a cornea in the country so far.
The little girl, who had fought astrocytomas since September 2017, nodded withouthesitation after her mother said she wanted to continue to see An’s eyes in thecoming years by giving An’s cornea to others.
Astrocytomas are tumours that arise from astrocytes—star-shaped cells that makeup the “glue-like” or supportive tissue of the brain.
The tumours are “graded” on a scale from I to IV based on how normal orabnormal the cells look. There are low-grade astrocytomas and high-gradeastrocytomas. Low-grade astrocytomas are usually localised and grow slowly.High-grade astrocytomas grow at a rapid pace and require a different course oftreatment. Most astrocytoma tumors in children are low grade.
Pham Thi Viet Huong, deputy head of the hospital’s Pediatrics Department, whodirectly treated An, said that when An was hospitalised last year, she wasalready in bad condition.
An had severe headaches, paralysis on one side of her body and had to breathevia an oxygen tube, Huong said.
“An is really a very good child,” she added.
“She always obeys every request of the doctors for her treatment, although shehad overwhelming pains due to the tumour, which a little girl could not bear.”
An was one of the most special patients Huong had met. “I could not forget thelittle girl with a sunny smile and bright eyes,” she added.
“An’s tumour was so large that we could not use radiotherapy – the onlystrategy that might have rescued her at that time,” the doctor said.
Nguyen Huu Hoang, Director of the Vietnam National Coordinating Centre forHuman Organ Transplantation, recalled the moment he came to An’s house to takeher cornea as An and her parents expected.
“The first moment I entered the house, An was cradled in her mother’s arms likeshe was sleeping tight,” he said.
Hoang and his two colleagues tried to conduct the 30-minute surgery as gentlyas they could. An’s cornea later was preserved in the Bank of Eyes under the Hanoi-based National Hospital of Ophthalmology before being transplanted for peoplein need.
This was the second surgery Hoang and his colleagues had undertaken to take acornea from a child. "But the surgery still ended with the doctors intears," he said.
They felt deeply touched because An’s parents overcame the normal prejudicethat people’s bodies should be complete when they die in order to donate An’scornea, Hoang said.
Not only the doctors but also thousands of other people had the same feeling ofrespect and gratitude when they heard An’s story, including Minister of HealthNguyen Thi Kim Tien. She sent a condolence wreath to An.
Nguyen Hoang Phuc, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Coordinating Centrefor Human Organ Transplantation, said, “Everyone can live the second life afterhe or she dies if he or she donates a part of their body to people who needit.”
On February 26, An’s cornea were transplanted to two people, including a73-year-old person and a 42-year-old person after the consultation of thehospital’s doctors. The 73-year-old person has cornea scarring and the42-year-old was born with a cataract.
An’s cornea was very precious: a survey by the hospital showed up to 300,000people need a cornea transplant, but only 100-150 people receive a cornea eachyear due to a national shortage.
Nguyen Tran Thuy Duong, An’s mother, said first that she wanted to donate herdaughter’s organ. Nevertheless, the current law did not allow it. The Law onOrgan Donation only permits people above 18 years old to donate organs. So Analone couldn’t make the decision to donate her cornea.
“I want to do that because I know many sick children who are in need of organtransplantation,” Duong said.
Therefore, Phuc, Deputy Director of the centre, said the centre would submit tothe health ministry and the Government to amend the law in the coming time.
The age of organ donor should be adjusted, he said.
“If we do that, we will save more people,” he said.-VNS/VNA
VNA
