Year in review: Most touching stories of 2019
Father donates 6-day-old daughter's organs
"Maodou, you went away without once seeing the world. Now the people who have received your corneas will see it for you. I know you would have supported Dad's decision. And please take care of Mom for me in the afterlife," a father whispered in front of a grave of his daughter, who died just six days after she was born.
On April 18, Maodou's father was waiting for his wife and their newborn baby outside the delivery room in a hospital in Huzhou, Zhejiang province. However, his wife died of an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), a pregnancy complication that causes life-threatening conditions. The baby, suffering serious asphyxia, was sent to the intensive care unit, or ICU.
After sitting outside the ICU for a whole night, Mao decided to donate his daughter's corneas and kidneys, allowing her to live in another way. The decision was supported by his wife Feifei's family, who all believed this was something she would have liked.
On April 24, Mao signed the organ donation form. He kissed his daughter, put a cloth toy that her mother had made beside her, and watched her being pushed into the operation room. He said he hoped Maodou could reunite with her mother in the afterlife.
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