Gone but not forgotten, he gave the greatest gift
At around one in the afternoon of February 10th, Xu Lijun's life came to an end. Per his request, the last deed of his life was to donate his corneas, heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. This selfless act saved the lives of five terminally ill patients and restored vision to two others. At the same time, he requested that his body be donated to Hainan Medical College for medical research. Truly, this is an expression of the greatest love a person can have for society as a whole.
Coming from Hailin City’s Hengdaohezi Town in Heilongjiang Province, the 40-year-old man worked as a chef in a restaurant in Sanya. One day before Spring Festival, his brother Xu Tiejun received a call from the restaurant owner informing him that "[his] younger brother is sick and in hospital." According to Xu Lijun’s boss, he had fainted while cooking. Rushed to the hospital for treatment, he spent a few days in the Inpatient Ward before being discharged home for rest and recuperation. Subsequently, his boss made a daily visit to his home.
On February 5 (the fifth day after the Chinese New Year), the restaurant owner found Xu Lijun lying in bed unresponsive. Rushed to the hospital for treatment, he was diagnosed with a serious cerebral hemorrhage.
Per a routine inquiry made by the Organ Donation Coordinator, it was determined that Xu Lijun had registered as a donor in the Chinese Human Organ Donation Volunteer Registration Management System on December 26, 2021.
"Bro, I want you to know, if I suddenly get sick or die, I want to donate my body to the country and help save other people's families. How many people's lives could I brighten?" Only after Xu Lijun had registered his name in the database did he call his older brother and tell him. At that time, Xu Tiejun was very surprised and more than a little unhappy.
According to him, his little brother quite randomly saw a news article about organ donation while surfing the Internet and felt that organ donation—as something with the potential to save another’s life—was very meaningful. This led him to the decision to register.
“In traditional Chinese culture, we say that 'falling leaves return to their roots'. This means that no matter how far away from home a person is when he or she dies, their ashes should be taken home and buried in the same graveyard as their parents. However, Lijun decided, without even discussing with us, that he wanted to donate his organs.” After a pause, Xu Tiejun continued, "After my brother explained his reasoning to me a few times, I slowly came to accept it and agreed with him.”
On February 10 at approximately one in the afternoon, Xu Lijun passed away due to illness at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College. He donated a heart, a lung, a liver, two kidneys, and his corneas. His donated organs will save the lives of five terminally ill patients and restore vision to two others. Additionally, his body will be used for medical research.
Zhou Qinghua (deputy director of the Hainan Red Cross Society Donation Management Office) said: as the first organ donor in Hainan to have proactively registered himself in the organ donor database prior to his final illness, Xu Lijun is particularly notable and his name will be engraved on the organ donor monument in Haikou City's Jinniuling Park.
Organ Donation FAQ
1. What is organ donation?
A: When a person passes away, according to their wishes and that of their family, any undamaged organs can be donated to save the lives of patients who are in urgent need of organ transplantation due to organ failure.
2. How can I sign up?
A:(1) Any mentally competent adult who is willing to be an organ donor can go to their local Red Cross Organ Donation Management Agency to fill in and submit a "Chinese Human Organ Donation Volunteer Registration Form".
A:(2) Log on to the China Human Organ Donation Administrative Center at www.codac.org.cn or visit their Official WeChat Account (Human Organ Donation in China) and register online. When your registration is complete, they will then receive a physical or electronic Chinese Human Organ Donation Volunteer registration card.
3. Can a volunteer donor change their mind?
A: Should a potential organ donor change their mind at any time, they can withdraw their name from the organ donor database.
4. If I join the organ donor database, does this absolutely mean my body and/or organs will be donated?
A: Completing the registration is merely an expression of willingness to donate. Whether or not organ donation will happen is predicated on the donor’s condition at the time of death, a rigorous medical evaluation, and the consent of their next of kin.
5. If I join the organ donor database, does this mean healthcare workers will put less effort into saving me in the event of an accident?
A: Saving lives is the duty of every healthcare worker. A person's status as a registrant will not affect their access to rescue and treatment.
6. Under what circumstances will the organ donation process be initiated?
A: When it becomes apparent a patient’s life cannot be saved and there is no record that the patient is against organ donation, routine inquiries will be made to check if they are listed in the organ donor database. At that time, after a strict medical evaluation and seeking the opinion of the patient’s next of kin, the donation procedure can be initiated.
7. How does the next of kin confirm a patient as an organ donor?
A: Whether or not the patient was listed in the organ donor database, next of kin (including parents, spouses, and adult children) will be consulted in writing and will be asked to jointly sign the Confirmation of Human Organ Donation Registration Form.
8. If the patient’s next of kin does not agree, will organ donation still take place?
A: If any of the immediate family members disagree with the patient becoming an organ donor, organ donation will not take place.
9. What work takes place when a patient becomes an organ donor?
Once it has been determined that the patient will be an organ donor, medical experts will use strict standards to confirm that the patient is brain dead before the doctors perform organ harvesting work.
Doctors will take great effort to restore the donor’s body to its original appearance and all persons present for the surgery will observe a moment of silence in memory of the donor.
According to the principle of scientific and fair distribution, the harvested organs will then be assigned to patients with organ failure and the organs will be transported as quickly as possible to the hospital where the patient awaiting transplant is located.