A father in his 30s with three children, including a daughter just over 100 days old, saved seven lives through brain-death organ donation before passing away.
According to the Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA) on Wednesday, Kim Gyeom, 38, donated his heart, lungs, liver, both kidneys and corneas at Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital on May 20, giving new life to seven people. Kim also donated human tissues including skin, bone, cartilage and blood vessels, helping approximately 100 people recover from disabilities.
Kim collapsed suddenly on May 13 while playing bass guitar during a church service. He was immediately transported to the hospital but never regained consciousness and was declared brain-dead.
When their desperate prayers failed to bring Kim back to consciousness, his family recalled that he had registered as an organ donor in 2007. The family said they consented to the donation hoping that many people would gain life through Kim, and that his children would one day grow up and proudly remember their father who saved many lives until the very end before going to heaven.
According to the bereaved family, Kim was born as the eldest of two sons in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. He had a bright and cheerful personality and loved looking after people around him. After finishing work, he was a caring father who spent time with his children — aged nine, seven and 100 days old. A lifelong believer who dreamed of becoming a pastor, he enrolled in a theology college. Even after graduating and working at a logistics company, he faithfully continued his religious life, serving on the church praise team and as a Sunday school teacher on weekends.
Kim's wife, Son Ju-hee, shared a message to her late husband: "Are you doing well in heaven? I believe you are the happiest and most at peace in God's embrace. I keep telling Ra-el, Yo-el and Hee-el that their daddy was a truly blessed and wonderful person. I will love them even more, for your share too, and raise them well — so please watch over us from heaven."
