After loss, parents promote organ donation

CHONGQING - For 61-year-old Gong Guangrong, losing his only son seven years ago was heartbreaking, but he has found a way to turn his sadness into a good cause.

In 2012, his 27-year-old son Gong Youzhi was diagnosed with leukemia. It wasn't until then that Gong Guangrong, from Chongqing, and his 62-year-old wife Li Hongyu learned about the option to donate a loved one's organs.

Gong Guangrong and Li spent their life savings on their son's medical expenses but his health was not getting better. One day, Gong Youzhi told his father that he wanted to donate his organs. "My son told me that donating one's organs could save other people's lives, which was also a way to realize one's value and contribute to society," Gong Guangrong said.

Although initially stunned, Gong Guangrong and Li were persuaded by their son. One month later, Gong Youzhi passed away and realized his wish of donating his organs. His corneas helped two people regain their sight.

Gong Guangrong and his wife found that many people did not know about becoming an organ donor and some even misunderstood it. "I thought, 'Why can't we encourage others to become an organ donor by sharing our own story?'" Gong Guangrong said.

They decided to become volunteers explaining organ donation and encouraging more people to become organ donors.

In China, people can sign up for organ donation at the China Organ Donation Administrative Center and China Organ Transplantation Development Foundation. Since December 2016, people can even register to become an organ donor on China's leading digital payment platform, Alipay.

The couple took the lead by signing organ donation agreements themselves. They then began distributing pamphlets and educational materials to the public. At first, their friends and family thought that they had not dealt with the pain of losing their son and considered their behavior abnormal. Some even thought they were doing it for money.

Despite this, Gong Guangrong was always patient with those he spoke with about organ donation. Li visited the couple's neighbors to explain the purpose and procedures involved in organ donation.

Lai Wenjie, one of the neighbors, was among those who did not understand Gong Guangrong's behavior. Lai even argued with him about the morality of organ donation. "But one day, experts from the Red Cross Society came to our community to spread organ donation knowledge, and we came to realize that Gong (Guangrong) had done everything voluntarily," Lai said. "I was deeply moved by his persistent volunteer work and signed up to be an organ donor."

The couple also called on their relatives, friends and former colleagues to become donors. So far, they have convinced 116 people to agree to donate their organs, with three having done so after passing away.

In recent years, thanks to the spread of knowledge on organ and body donations, more people in China have started to accept the idea.

According to the China Organ Donation Administrative Center, China's body donation rate rose from 0.03 to 4.53 donors per million over the past decade, with the number of registered body and organ donors exceeding 1.16 million by the end of March this year.

"We hope to improve people's understanding of the significance of body and organ donation, and win more support for the cause from society," said Liang Huiling, Party chief of the Red Cross Society of China.

Xinhua