A woman in her 50s, who suddenly collapsed with symptoms of breathing difficulty while traveling in Vietnam with her daughter, has saved the lives of three people through organ donation.
According to the Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA), Koo Jin-hee, 55, provided her liver and kidneys to three patients at Kosin University Gospel Hospital on September 18 before passing away.
While traveling in Vietnam with her daughter on September 12, Koo suddenly showed symptoms of breathing difficulty and collapsed due to a cerebral hemorrhage.
She was taken to a local hospital, but as she did not regain consciousness, she was transferred to a hospital in South Korea. However, she ultimately failed to recover and was pronounced brain dead.
Her bereaved family decided to proceed with organ donation in accordance with the deceased's wishes to "help others and exert a positive influence."
Born in Seoul, Koo was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenia during her pregnancy in 2001.
As her condition did not respond well to treatment, she had to endure repeated hospitalizations for 25 years.
Despite her illness, Koo always thought of her family and people around her before herself.
After moving to Busan in 2015 following her husband's workplace relocation, she participated in a faith group at her husband's company, supporting employees and their families when they faced difficult times.
When her health condition stabilized, traveling with her family was one of Koo's greatest joys. Her husband, an airline pilot, frequently arranged opportunities for them to travel together, finding joy in seeing his wife forget her pain while traveling.
Along with traveling, what filled Koo's life were her two daughters.
Koo experienced great joy last August when she held her first grandchild, born to her eldest daughter JISOO, and she had been preparing for the wedding of her younger daughter, Kim Ji-won, scheduled for next year.
Her two daughters said they feel the empty space left by their mother deeply, knowing she will not be able to watch her grandchild grow or attend the wedding.
[JISOO / Eldest daughter of Koo Jin-hee: Mom had been waiting a lot for the grandchild and she loved babies so much, so it would have been nice if we could have spent a little more time together.]
Her husband, Mr. Kim, shared his final farewell to his wife, saying, "Honey, it has been 33 years since I met you, and I will cherish all the happy times we shared. Now, rest in peace in a place free from pain without any worries."
Eldest daughter JISOO also vowed, "Moving forward, I will live by thinking 'What would Mom have done?' and carry on my mother's values," while her younger daughter, Kim Ji-won, expressed her affectionate feelings, saying, "I was so happy that Mom was my mom."
[Kim Ji-won / Younger daughter of Koo Jin-hee: You must have suffered a lot because of your difficult illness, but thank you so much for raising us well, and we will live diligently and build pretty families of our own before we join you.]
(Photo courtesy of Korea Organ Donation Agency)
Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News
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