Tang Kwai-sze, a female patient at Queen Mary Hospital, has gone through with two liver transplant operations in a week's time.Arousing territory-wide concern, the case also brings about an issue that calls for deep discussions.That is, how the practice of organ donation could be further promoted and whether relevant regulations need to be revised.
In Hong Kong, liver transplant operations are not rarely seen and the success ratio is rather high, second to none in Asia.Professors Fan Sheung Tat and Lo Chung Mau with the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Medicine and Queen Mary Hospital are authoritative experts in this field.But Tang Kwai-sze's liver transplant arouses wide attention in whole society because there is a human touch in this case outside the domain of medicine.
In this case, Ms. Tang is a good mother worthy of the name who besides taking care of household affairs has taken a part-time job of cleaning to help ease her husband's burden and who loves and cares about two daughters.After she had been confirmed to have a liver disease which required a liver transplant operation, her eldest daughter unhesitantly volunteered to donate part of her liver to save her mother. But her offer was declined because she was under 18, the statutory age for organ donation. There is the eternal mother/daughter love on one side, and the inflexible law on the other.As such, the case attracts the wide press coverage and citizens'discussions.
What has more affected people's emotions is that, when Tang Kwai-sze was at death's door without liver transplant, Momo Cheng Hoi-yan, a clerk and complete stranger to Tang, came forward to offer part of her liver to extend Ms. Tang's live.What is more admirable is that Cheng's mother who also has liver disease also supported her daughter's high-minded act. A liver donation operation is not risk free, and the operation will have more or less some effect on the donor's quality of living afterwards.But "Ah-yan"was willing to make such a sacrifice for a "stranger". This is really touching and admirable.
Yet it turned out that Ms. Tang still remained on the verge of death after being transplanted with the liver donated by Cheng. Then another "miracle" happened. Surviving family members of a passed-away person were willing to donate the dead person's liver.Tang Kwai-sze went through another liver transplant operation and her conditions were fare after the operation, able to open her eyes and react yesterday."Ah-yan" who had donated part of her liver also said yesterday that although her donation could not completely achieve the result, it helped Tang Kwai-sze survive for one more week so that she could eventually go through the second operation.In this way, she did not think her liver donation was in vain, but instead considered it worthy and effective.The medical team fully agreed with her.
This is really a case of "support coming from everywhere to a suffering family".A liver transplant operation involves three families and furthermore touches the hearts of numerous citizens.The story of a good mother and a filial daughter is moving,"Ah Yan's" selfless support is touching, and in the end there came the opportunity for a second liver transplant operation.Everyone hopes this "miracle"could eventually end in a most satisfactory way with Tang Kwai-sze completely returning to good health, so that she could meet and say thanks to the owner and surviving family members of the two "alien" livers successively existing inside her body, and let warm-hearted feelings and love spread all over Hong Kong.
As a matter of fact, Hong Kong society is never indifferent in itself.Well economic development, improvement of education and living conditions have elevated people's spirits, characters and quality.But incessant political antagonism, confrontational sentiments and violent incidents in recent years have reduced healthy atmosphere and increased hostility in society, which makes people feel helpless and grieved.The case of Ms. Tang Kwai-sze's liver transplant enables people to see again the aspects of harmony, affection and mutual love in society, see the strong will to survive and sacrifice to save lives, and see the achievement of Hong Kong's medical services for citizens.If more people could be inspired by this to arouse positive energy to set off negative factors, it would be very fortunate for Hong Kong society.
22 April 2017
