Mother of 14-year-old boy donates son’s organs after he was pronounced brain dead at KK Hospital

Singapore mother donates 14-year-old son’s organs after he was confirmed brain dead

The mother of a 14-year-old boy has donated her son’s organs after he was pronounced brain dead last Saturday (25 May).

The boy had suffered from arrhythmia — or irregular heartbeat — after collapsing during a school fitness test on 2 May.

52-year-old Su Yan Fen (name transliterated from Chinese) subsequently decided to donate her son’s organs to other patients to fulfil her son’s dream of helping those in need.

Boy declared brain dead 3 weeks after collapsing during school fitness test

According to Lianhe Zaobao, 14-year-old Lu Xuan Zheng (name transliterated from Chinese) was participating in a 2.4-kilometer run at Woodlands Secondary School when he suddenly collapsed.

He was rushed to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where he fell into a coma.

For three weeks, Ms Su stayed by her son’s bedside and wished for his recovery.

However, after 24 days in a coma, Xuan Zheng was pronounced brain dead by doctors last Saturday (25 May).

Doctors informed Ms Su that her son may have fallen into a coma as his heart was unable to handle the intense exercise.

“Our family has no history of this disease, Xuan Zheng has never complained of heart discomfort. It happened so suddenly,” Ms Su told Lianhe Zaobao.

Mother donates son’s organs to help patients in need

Shortly after Xuan Zheng was declared brain dead, Ms Su was reportedly faced with the difficult decision of whether she wanted to donate her son’s organs.

Initially opposed to the idea, she later learned that there were more than 400 patients awaiting organ transplants.

Ms Su shared that her son’s biggest dream was to help those in need. Hence she decided to go ahead with the organ donations.

Xuan Zheng’s organ transplant surgery was completed on Sunday (26 May), where doctors successfully removed the boy’s corneas, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and skin.

Three patients who needed transplants benefitted from the young boy’s organ donation.

A family friend who was present at the hospital shared that Xuan Zheng was a likeable and helpful boy.

“He once said that he wanted to contribute to society, but I didn’t expect that he would accomplish it in this way,” she said.

School conducted internal review after incident

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, Woodlands Secondary School principal Chen Yan Fen (name transliterated from Chinese) confirmed that the school had conducted an internal review following Xuan Zheng’s death to ensure safety regulations are adhered to.

All students have been instructed to warm up and undergo health assessments before partaking in physical activities.

School representatives had been visiting Xuan Zheng and his family before his death, and will continue to provide assistance to his classmates and friends affected by the tragedy.

Xuan Zheng’s funeral will be held at Block 754A Woodlands Circle on Thursday (30 May) morning.

Also read: 14-Year-Old S’pore Sports School Student Passes Away After Fitness Trial, Was A Promising Shuttler

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Featured image adapted from Lianhe Zaobao and Google Maps.