NANJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- A one-year-old boy who was tragically declared "brain dead" after an accident has undergone surgery to have his organs donated that could save four lives.
His heart, liver, and kidneys will go on to help four patients with organ failure, said doctors at Children's Hospital of Soochow University in east China's Jiangsu Province.
Doctors and nurses bow to Haohao before the surgery at Children's Hospital of Soochow University, east China's Jiangsu Province, Aug. 12, 2020. (Photo provided to Xinhua)
The boy named Haohao, hailing from the city of Kunshan, was staying with his family in a hotel in Suzhou when the accident happened on Aug. 7. He toddled in the room and fell onto the floor. As he had just finished eating, when he cried, he choked on the food, according to his parents.
File photo of Haohao. (Photo provided to Xinhua)
He was immediately taken to a local hospital but failed to recover from asphyxia.
"Son, I really want to say 'happy birthday' to you!" wailed Lyu, Haohao's father. If it were not for the accident, the little boy would have been celebrating his first birthday on Saturday, Lyu said.
"We have endured such pain and it's just irreversible. We hope to extend his life through organ donation," the father said. "I hope the families we help would no longer have to bear the pain as we have."
Haohao receives the surgery at Children's Hospital of Soochow University, east China's Jiangsu Province, to have his organs donated, Aug. 12, 2020. (Photo provided to Xinhua)
"His parents made a selfless choice while they are still in extreme grief," said Ma Hongying, secretary-general of the Suzhou Red Cross Society. The boy has become the youngest organ donor in Jiangsu.
The news has prompted public mourning for the boy. "Happy birthday, little angel! The people whom you helped will never forget you," one user wrote on social media platform Weibo. ■
