(Photo courtesy of her family)Hanoi (VNA) – A 12-year-old girl who
died on July 2 had decided to donate her cornea, becoming the third-youngest person
to make such donation in Vietnam.
Nguyen Van Nhi took her last breath after
nine days of treatment at the Hanoi-based Vietnam National Hospital of
Pediatrics. Her death was caused by laryngeal papillomatosis, a rare medical
condition in which benign tumors form along the aerodigestive tract.
Diagnosed with the disease at two years old,
Nhi was last hospitalised on June 23 due to breathing problems and high fever.
Her condition worsened, with doctors predicting she might not make it. Her
mother decided to donate the girl’s cornea and this decision was supported by
the entire family.
The little girl agreed to donate her cornea
on her hospital bed before losing consciousness.
Nguyen Huu Hoang, Director of the Vietnam
National Coordinating Centre for Human Organ Transplantation, praised the
donation as a humanitarian act, saying Nhi’s cornea will bring light to others.
Earlier this year, Nguyen Hai An, 7, from Hanoi’s Nam Tu Liem district,
before passing away in her K Hospital sickbed, decided to give her cornea to
people who could use it.
A survey by K hospital showed up to 300,000
people need a cornea transplant, but only 100-150 people receive a cornea each
year due to a national shortage of donors.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
