An infant who died at 9 months old left new life to three people through organ donation. The family made the final decision, saying they wanted to believe that somewhere, traces of the child were still alive and breathing.
The Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA) said on the 27th that Jang So-min, a 9-month-old girl, died on May 1 at Samsung Medical Center after donating her liver, kidneys, and small intestine through brain-death organ donation.
So-min showed a fever on Apr. 19 and was seen at pediatrics, but the fever persisted. After moving from hospital to hospital, she was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and eventually fell into brain death.
The organ donation discussion began at the father's suggestion. The mother, a person surnamed Park, could not decide easily at first, but said she changed her mind in line with the family's wish that "it would be nice if traces of So-min could remain alive somewhere in the world." The family decided to donate, saying, "Isn't it better to do something good than to leave without leaving anything behind?"
Born last July weighing 2.5 kilograms, So-min remained small, weighing in the 7-kilogram range even at 9 months old. The family paid close attention to vaccinations and diet management, hoping the child would become healthy, but two months before her first birthday, they faced an unexpected farewell.
For the family, the cherry blossom outing they took together this spring remained their last memory. They were not able to take the family trip planned for May. The mother said, "I should have held her more. It breaks my heart to feel that she lived even less time than she spent in my womb."
She added, "In the next life, I hope she will grow up healthy without illness, no matter whose daughter she is," and said, "I also hope the people who received the organs will no longer be in pain and will live well."
Lee Sam-yeol, head of the Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA), said, "Although the time was short, the life-sharing that So-min left behind changed the lives of three families," and noted, "I hope this donation will serve as an opportunity to reconsider the meaning of life-sharing."