Act of Kindness

Week 10

         Acts of kindness are sometimes impossible to repay. Su Lee from Kangar, Perlis, is eternally grateful to the Gomez family for teaching her this lesson and for giving her a chance to live on the process.

        It all began last February after Su Lee returned from a camping trip in Taman Negara. Fatigue and excruciating back pains were her complaints. After a series of intensive tests, doctors confirmed that Su Lee had a degenerative kidney problem, a rare condition for an 18-year-old. In fact, she had end-stage kidney failure and needed dialysis straight away.

      Treatments were unsuccessful and when Su Lee's family found that none of them were good matches for kidney donation, they were forced to look for donors. Su Lee, being young was at the bottom of the list of recipients.

     Months passed and Su Lee's condition quickly deteriorated. Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, one Tuesday, the Gomez family were given the sad news of their only son, Brian's involvement in a head-on collision with a tow truck. His head injuries were severe and life-threatening, and he was bleeding profusely even after emergency surgery was performed.

        Doctors and surgeons did their best but Brian's parents were told to prepare for the worst. Two days later, Brian died. Despite her grief, Mrs Gomez recalled a discussion she had with her son just a week before the accident. Both of them had agreed that the gift of life is the greatest act of kindness one could possibly give a fellow human being. Mr and Mrs Gomez wanted to honour their dying son's wishes and conveyed the message to the medical team. Brian had wanted his organs to be donated.

        The doctors and surgeons at the KL Medical Centre set to work immediately. Brian's kidneys were removed and a perfect match was found in Su Lee. The Gomezes were consoled by the fact that though their  son may be gone, a part of him would still live on.

        Su Lee and her family cannot express their gratitude enough. The Gomezes look upon their decision to donate their son's organs as an act of kindness but Su Lee knows better. What greater gift can one human being give a fellow human being! The was her second chance at life.