A five-year-old girl, the elder of fraternal twins, has passed away after giving new life to three people through organ donation following brain death.
According to the Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA) on the 9th, Oh Yu-na passed away at Samsung Medical Center on May 14 after donating her heart, lungs and both kidneys to three recipients, along with her blood vessels as human tissue.
Yu-na was born in July 2020, about three months earlier than her due date. Hydrocephalus caused by a brain hemorrhage was discovered at birth, and she underwent shunt surgery to drain cerebrospinal fluid and control pressure in her brain. But her family said she was never seriously ill as she grew up. It was around May this year that Yu-na was taken to the hospital after showing sudden headaches and signs of fatigue. Her condition worsened despite treatment, and although she underwent surgery, she did not regain consciousness and was declared brain-dead.
After much deliberation, Yu-na's parents decided to donate her organs. Her mother, Shim Ji-young, had been interested in organ donation since her university days and had told her family that she wished to donate her organs if anything were to happen to her. "It was hard to make the decision readily because it involved my daughter, whom I love like my own life, but I wanted to leave Yu-na in the world even in this way," Shim said. "I thought it would be good if other people could live longer because of Yu-na."
According to her family, Yu-na was born just one minute before her twin brother Si-heon, but as a mature older sister, she looked after him attentively. She was affectionate, often hugging her parents and expressing her love without reserve. At her daycare center, teachers would often say, "Just seeing Yu-na smile makes us feel better."
"My sweetheart. You will forever be our first daughter, and we will live on remembering you as our lovely daughter Yu-na," Shim said in her final farewell. "When we meet again someday, Mom will run to you, hold you tight and give you all the love I couldn't give. I love you."
"Though her life was short, the spark of life Oh Yu-na left behind in this world is greater and more beautiful than anything else," said Lee Sam-yeol, president of the Korea Organ Donation Agency. "We are grateful to the bereaved family for making such a noble decision for others, and we will engrave Yu-na's precious love deep in our hearts."
