Woman with cancer donates corneas to save two blind young men
A 63-year-old female patient, who died of breast cancer, donated corneas for transplant to two young strangers.
While still alive, she registered to donate her corneas at the Human Organ Transplant Coordination Unit, Cho Ray Hospital. She passed away at her home on the morning of October 19. The Eye Bank doctor of the Ho Chi Minh City Association for the Support of Poor Patients received two corneas and brought them to the eye bank for preservation. The Association screened the list and selected two blind young men in difficult circumstances to transplant her corneas.
Among them, a 27-year-old man from Bac Lieu, currently living in Tay Ninh, has a corneal scar on his right eye due to a work accident more than two years ago. He is married and works as a machine maintenance man, and his eye condition has greatly affected his work and daily activities. He registered for a humanitarian corneal transplant at the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Supporting Poor Patients a few months ago.
The second case is a 33-year-old man from An Giang. He had a corneal scar on his right eye when he was 2-3 years old due to a foreign object flying into his eye, and since then he has lost almost all vision in his right eye. He is currently a bricklayer in Binh Duong, has a family and a small child, and has been waiting for a corneal transplant for a long time.
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| Doctors at Nguyen Trai Hospital performed a corneal transplant on a patient on the morning of October 23. Photo provided by the hospital. |
Dr. Tran Thanh Danh, Head of the Ophthalmology Department at Nguyen Trai Hospital, said that on the morning of October 23, two corneal transplants were performed. Each surgery lasted 45 minutes and went smoothly. After the transplant, both patients were conscious.
On October 26, doctors removed the eye bandages and discharged the two patients.
"It is expected that after a month of care and monitoring, patients will be able to return to normal activities," Dr. Danh shared.
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| Corneal transplant donated by woman to patient. Photo provided by hospital. |
This is the 48th and 49th humanitarian corneal transplants that Nguyen Trai Hospital and the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Poor Patients have performed, helping to restore sight to many poor and unfortunate patients. The corneas were donated, and the cost of the cornea transplants was paid for by the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Poor Patients.
