Source: The Standard
Hong Kong people are known for their charitable spirit and the ability to turn a crisis into opportunity.
This strength was well exemplified recently when customs officer Simon Hui Sai-man donated part of his liver to save the life of colleague Yuen Wai-cheung, who suffered serious injury while on duty.
Hui's selfless deed has given a boost to the local organ donation culture, with many following in his footsteps and pledging support.
Two other Customs and Excise Department staff also came forward to help, but after careful evaluation doctors decided that Hui was the most suitable donor.
The procedure went very smoothly. As Hui has always been the sporty kind, he recovered in no time.
Hong Kong has a high reputation in hepatic transplantation surgery, with the proportion between living and deceased donors at 50-50.
The liver of a donor will grow back; the younger the donor, the speedier the rate of recovery.
As all transplant operations are meticulously planned and executed, the risk is not high, and living donors over the years have all recovered.
The organ donation drive to save Yuen, meanwhile, has inspired Hong Kong to focus on the issue of organ donations, which really needs a push.
Organs for transplantation are in short supply in Hong Kong because of traditional reluctance.
Also few organs are made available by accidental deaths as Hong Kong is a safe city. There is an urgent need to garner stronger public support, as the wait has proved to be too long for many patients.
I learned from Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat- ngok that the government will step up efforts to promote the culture of organ donation.
To this end, a small garden with the theme of organ donation will soon be set up at Kowloon Park, both to educate the public and to obtain pledges. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily
This strength was well exemplified recently when customs officer Simon Hui Sai-man donated part of his liver to save the life of colleague Yuen Wai-cheung, who suffered serious injury while on duty.
Hui's selfless deed has given a boost to the local organ donation culture, with many following in his footsteps and pledging support.
Two other Customs and Excise Department staff also came forward to help, but after careful evaluation doctors decided that Hui was the most suitable donor.
The procedure went very smoothly. As Hui has always been the sporty kind, he recovered in no time.
Hong Kong has a high reputation in hepatic transplantation surgery, with the proportion between living and deceased donors at 50-50.
The liver of a donor will grow back; the younger the donor, the speedier the rate of recovery.
As all transplant operations are meticulously planned and executed, the risk is not high, and living donors over the years have all recovered.
The organ donation drive to save Yuen, meanwhile, has inspired Hong Kong to focus on the issue of organ donations, which really needs a push.
Organs for transplantation are in short supply in Hong Kong because of traditional reluctance.
Also few organs are made available by accidental deaths as Hong Kong is a safe city. There is an urgent need to garner stronger public support, as the wait has proved to be too long for many patients.
I learned from Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat- ngok that the government will step up efforts to promote the culture of organ donation.
To this end, a small garden with the theme of organ donation will soon be set up at Kowloon Park, both to educate the public and to obtain pledges. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily
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