LIfe after donating an organ

Asia One | Tan Choe Choe

LEE Leong Kim and his wife, Hernawati Subli, were featured holding hands and smiling happily two months ago on the front page of this newspaper when they shared their story on being the first ABO-incompatible transplant patients in the country when Hernawati successfully donated her kidney to Lee.

Their story chalked up a medical milestone for the country as their doctors achieved what had been thought of as medically impossible.

In a telephone conversation on Thursday, Lee, 57, said he was undergoing normal post-op care while his wife, fondly known as Herna, 34, is now active and back at work at the couple's tour and travel business.

But before the operation, Lee, who had been diagnosed with chronic renal failure in 2009, was keen to ensure that Herna's welfare was taken care of in case anything happened to him.

He also wanted to ensure that if she fell sick, she would get the best medical care possible and would not be left dependent on the state in the face of rising medical costs. This was also especially important as they have two young boys aged 7 and 8.

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