Gift of life
Teenager was brain-dead after motorcycle accident
Teen accident victim’s parents donate his organs.
SEGAMAT: The parents of an 18-year-old accident victim who died in a motorcycle crash in Labis made a noble decision to donate his major organs.
Tan Siew Mei, the 44-year-old mother, said her second child Tew Hong Bin was returning home from his aunt’s house on a motorcycle when he met with an accident around 1pm on Monday.
“After receiving my husband’s call, I rushed to the scene. It was horrifying for a mother to see her own child’s head covered in blood,” she said yesterday.
The mother of five and her husband wanted to transfer their son to Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru after he fell into a coma but it was not possible due to low blood pressure.
“We did not want him to suffer, so we wanted to take him off life support so he could go peacefully the next day (Tuesday). But then we had a change of heart and decided to donate his organs to benefit others,” she said.
According to Tan, after listening to their decision, the doctor said only his cornea and bone marrow were suitable to be harvested due to his dependency on medication.
“However, on Wednesday, the doctor informed us that my son’s heart, kidney and other organs had improved and were suitable for donation. Perhaps my son also agreed to our wish to donate,” she said.
Tan said the doctor declared her son brain-dead around midnight yesterday after a thorough check.
The family does not wish to know who the organ recipients are because they do not want anything in return.
Tan said that her son’s remains will be cremated tomorrow in Labis according to Buddhist beliefs.
Her son, a Form Six student of SMK Munshi Ibrahim, was a filial and caring boy, she added
“Although he was shy and soft spoken, I know that he loved me very much despite my stern upbringing style because he was always willing to help with house chores and would respond to me every time I called him,” she said.