A 9-month-old infant has donated organs after being declared brain dead, giving the gift of new life to three patients before passing away.
According to the Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA) on Thursday, baby Jang So-min, 9 months old, donated her liver, kidney, and small intestine at Samsung Medical Center, saving three patients.
So-min visited a primary care clinic on the 19th of last month with a high fever, but her symptoms did not subside. As her overall condition continued to deteriorate, she was taken to several hospitals before being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. Despite aggressive treatment by medical staff, she eventually reached a state of brain death.
So-min's mother, identified by the surname Park, initially refused to consent to the donation but changed her mind after her husband expressed his wish, saying he wanted to "believe that traces of So-min are still alive and breathing somewhere in the world." Park said she agreed to the donation, thinking, "Wouldn't it be better to do something good before leaving rather than leaving without a trace?"
According to the family, So-min was born last July weighing 2.5 kilograms and had only reached around 7 kilograms by 9 months old. "We paid close attention to everything from vaccinations to her diet, believing that as time passed and her immunity built up, she would be fine," Park said. "The cherry blossom outing our family recently took together became my last memory with my daughter." She added, "My husband suddenly bursts into tears at the sight of any baby who looks like So-min. It breaks my heart that she lived a shorter time than she spent in my womb. I should have held her more."
Park, who said she could not even bring herself to ask to meet again in the next life out of guilt, offered her final farewell: "It doesn't matter whose daughter she is — I just hope that in her next life, she won't be sick and will grow up healthy." To the recipients, she said, "I hope they live well, without further hardship or pain."
"Though her time in this world was brief at just 9 months, the trace of sharing that So-min left behind has changed the lives of three families," said Lee Sam-yeol, president of KODA. "I hope this noble decision becomes an opportunity for more people to reflect on the meaning of sharing life."
