The love a child leaves behind and the kindness of a mother.

"My child's presence still lingers somewhere around here."

Six years ago, the touching story of 7-year-old Hai An, who donated her corneas after passing away due to a serious illness, moved many people. Her young mother, Nguyen Tran Thuy Duong, was heartbroken by the loss of her little daughter, but her eyes always light up with pride whenever someone mentions Hai An.

Ms. Thuy Duong is campaigning to encourage people to donate their corneas to save lives after they pass away.

"With one hand, I passed on the light from my child's eyes to help others. It's also the love my child is giving back to the world," Thuy Duong shared.

For Ms. Duong, even though Hai An has passed away, she will always feel her child's presence beside her in the most special way.

"My daughter's cornea donation has helped two other people regain their sight, which is incredibly meaningful. Both are recovering well; one has been able to return to work, and the other is more confident in her daily life. I feel like Hai An is always by my side. That's the motivation for me to overcome difficulties and continue living," Ms. Duong confided.

According to Ms. Duong, after Hai An donated her cornea, in addition to the gratitude of many people, she faced considerable pressure: "There were times when I felt lost and lonely amidst the noise of public opinion."

Refusing to remain consumed by grief and despair, she told herself, "Hai An wanted me to continue living and spreading love. Therefore, I have tried to overcome all difficulties and continue my work advocating for organ donation. I want to help more people, so that stories like Hai An's are no longer isolated incidents."

Overcoming obstacles

Currently, Thuy Duong is involved in promoting tissue, organ, and cornea donation at the Tissue Bank, Hanoi Eye Hospital 2. According to her, this work not only helps save many lives but also allows her to continue her daughter Hai An's story, inspiring compassion and kindness in the community.

The noble act of little Hai An and her sister Thuy Duong touched many people. Since then, a movement to donate organs and corneas has spread throughout the country, with the number of people registering and donating organs increasing rapidly.

Overcoming her grief, Thùy Dương bravely moved forward with her chosen path, even knowing that the journey would not be easy in order to change society's prejudices about donating tissues, organs, and corneas to save lives.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang, Director of the Central Eye Bank

Few could imagine that she and her colleagues had to travel tirelessly across different regions to conduct campaigns and raise awareness so that people would understand and voluntarily register to donate organs and corneas after death. The nights spent searching for cornea donors only to return empty-handed did not discourage her.

Despite battling cancer and maintaining its control, Ms. Duong believes that this work is not just a profession but also a mission, helping her find comfort and faith in life, transforming her personal pain into hope for many others.

Ms. Duong vividly remembers a patient, barely in her twenties, who was gradually losing her eyesight due to keratoconus. "Her family was in despair, but thanks to a donated cornea from a stranger, she was able to see again. Witnessing her smile and the tears of joy from her and her family after the successful surgery, I realized that all the effort and hardship were worthwhile," she confided.

We shared with you a letter from a cornea transplant patient who wished to convey her gratitude to the corneas of a stranger from the distant United States. The letter read: "The gift from the donor has brought light and new opportunities to my life… allowing me to see the world around me with new eyes."

Ms. Duong said that their heartfelt messages further motivated her and her colleagues in their cornea donation campaign.

"Although the concept of organ and cornea donation is more open now, it's still a long and challenging journey. We will continue our efforts so that more patients can be saved thanks to the kindness of organ donors, which is also what our little daughter Hai An always wished for," she confided.

Little Nguyen Hai An passed away on February 22, 2018, after battling a rare form of cancer for about five months. Her story, before her death, of agreeing to donate her corneas, giving the gift of sight to others, touched millions of hearts.

Within just two months, approximately 2,000 people had registered to donate organs after death at the center. This was a record number of registrations in just two months since the center's establishment. The two recipients of Hai An's corneas were a 73-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/tinh-yeu-con-gui-lai-va-nghia-cu-cua-nguoi-me-192241101103626181.htm