Man, 82, refuses medicine to protect donor organs

An 82-year-old man has refused to take medicine while receiving treatment after a traffic accident, as he wants to donate his liver and kidneys after his death and thinks medicine would harm the organs, Chengdu Evening News reported.

Li Yongchun was badly injured in a recent traffic accident and is in an intensive care unit of the No 1 Hospital Affiliated to the Chengdu Medical College in Sichuan province.

Although he cannot speak, he has made it clear he will not take any medicines so his organs will be suitable for donation.

His family members, who were initially against his decision to be a donor, had been moved by his sincerity so signed to endorse it.

While exercising one morning in 1996, Li fell and injured one leg. He lay motionless on the ground and was feeling desperate when a passerby found him and took him home on a delivery tricycle.

The incident prompted Li to help others in need and he became a well-known public-spirited person within his community.

Nine years ago, he decided to become an organ donor and read lots of health books to learn how to keep fit so he would qualify, Chengdu Evening News reported.