1) Lee Chen Hoe celebrated the 20th anniversary of receiving a kidney transplant by hosting doctors and nurses involved in his transplant surgery. 2) He received a kidney from an American donor and has since dedicated himself to promoting organ donation awareness. 3) Lee actively gives talks to raise awareness about donation and helps counsel those waiting for transplants. He remains deeply grateful for his second chance at life.

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Tuesday, 26 July 2016
More years to come after new lease of life 20 years ago
By Lee Yuk Peng
yukpeng@gmail.com
For the past 20 years, Lee Chen Hoe lives in gratitude.
The gift of life is akin to striking the jackpot and he is still enjoying the grand prize at
every moment.
Until today, he remains grateful for a new lease of life that he received 20 years ago, a
kidney transplant made possible by an American cadaveric donor. C.H. Bender, who
was declared brain dead after suffering a stroke,
To celebrate the transplant that took place 20 years ago, he hosted a lunch reception at
the Nephrology Department of Hospital Kuala Lumpur today, inviting retired nurses,
the then kidney transplant co-ordinators and doctors who were involved in transplant
then to join him for the occasion.
Doctor and nurses who attended the 20th
Transplant Anniversary
Gathering on 26 July 2016

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Doctor and nurses who attended the 15th
Transplant Anniversary
gathering on 28 June 2011
Doctor and nurses who attended the 10th
Transplant Anniversary
gathering on 19 July 2006
Exactly 10 years ago, Lee, now 58, did the same thing. He celebrated the 10th
anniversary with the Nephrology Department of HKL then, Dato’ Dr Zaki Morad and
his “twin brother” Azizi Husain, who received another kidney from the same donor.

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Today, Dato’ Dr Zaki who has since retired, happened to be in Perlis and another
nephrologist Dr C.C. Tan was in Johor Bharu. Both were not present today but Lee
celebrated with Datuk Dr Ghazali Ahmad, head of Nephrology Department of HKL
now.
Lee does not only live to celebrate his “second birthday” with his twin brother Azizi
but he walks the talk. He and would not hesitate to explain to the general public on
organ donation and dish out Organ Donor Cards from his business bag wherever he
travels, to the stranger or person next to him in the plane to take home to consider the
option.
For that Lee had coined a code name PICTURE which standards for Passion in
organ donation, Initiative to strike conversation on the topic, Communicate in the
simplest language on the topic, Take time off from his business or work to participate
in awareness campaign, Understand from the viewpoint of another person, Read and
research on the topic to get a better understanding, Enjoy the voluntary work and

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expect nothing in return, Sincere and supportive family and derives greatest
satisfaction as it Saves Lives
He has been a committed and passionate organ donation ambassador, going round to
deliver talk and also advise to kidney failure patients whenever he is invited to do so.
Lee has with the assistance of Dato’ Dr. Hajjah Nor’Aini bt Haji Abu Bakar, then
Chief Executive Director of IJN, Dato’ Dr. Tan Chwee Choon, Senior Nephrologist of
Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah and Sr. Ramayee Sinnadurai, Transplant
Coordinator of IJN and Balachanthhar Subramaniam, in the formation of Green
Ribbon Support Association, GRSA formally registered on 12 July 2001
He was the convener Secretary and held office from 2001 to 2011 while Balachanthar
was convener Chairman. GRSA had successfully organized many activities such as
the Inaugural Malaysia Transplant Games on 18 August 2002, publication of
Inaugural Transplant Info Newsletter in November 2002
GRSA is an NGO whose members comprising of medical staff,
transplant recipients and spouses and general public who subscribe
to Organ Donation Awareness.
The objectives of GRSA are:
1) To promote and provide support, care and counselling to
patients who have undergone transplant of organs to return to
lead normal life again in the society.
2) To create awareness of major health diseases leading to
End stage organ failure.
3) To improve donor rates in the country.
4th
Malaysian Transplant
Games-25 June 2006

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Organizing Half Day Quality of Life Seminars by invited doctors, dietician, and
physiotherapist speaking on the subject of Health Care and Laugher the Medicine.
During which time, many organ donation “The Gift of Life” awareness talk has also
been held. He has delivered more than one hundred of talks travelling to various parts
of Malaysia and is still actively assisting National Transplant Resource Centre (NTRC)
for the same reason. Granted more than 20 interviews to news media, TV and Radio
Stations
He receives phone calls from dialysis patients on
waiting list and he would meet and counsel them.
Meeting newly transplanted kidney recipients
relating to post transplantation health care be
there for the newly diagnosed patient-Prof.
Masuri Othman of UKM -27 February 2013

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.
At MAPCU Organ Donation Campaign, IMU on 24 October 2012

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Hin Hua High School Klang on 22nd
June 2008
He also shows up at “Bicara Hati”, an event held by NTRC for donors’ families, to
express gratitude, without fail.
Bicara Hati event on 17 Oct 2010 at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur
Bintulu Rotary Club
31st
October 2008

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He participates in transplant games held every two years to be a leading example of
living a healthy life.
10th
Japan Transplant Games, Kobe, Japan 7-11 September 2000
Donor families
Heart transplant recipients,
Asri and Mazlan

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15th
World Transplant Games, 16-25 July 2005, City of London, Ontario, Canada
4th
Bangkok Transplant Games, 1st
& 2nd
August 2015
To Lee, he is paying back to society in exchange for a successful kidney transplant,
good health and longevity. As mark of his 20th
successful transplant operation
celebration, he made 1500 of plastic folders to be distributed to his doctors, nurses,

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friends and organ pledgers who signed up in front of him. He believes “upstairs” is
aware of his merit deed and will grant him his wish of receiving extension of time.
Lee’s kidneys failed in 1991 – when his twin daughters were just two-and-a-half years
old – and he had to depend on dialysis while waiting for a donor.
Kidney waiting list is long even till today and cadaveric donors are rare and he
treasures the second chance by living well and involving in organ donation campaign.
He is thankful to donor’s wife who gave the consent, the nurses who looked after him,
the doctors who performed the transplant by keeping in touch with them whenever he
can.
He maintains good health by brisk walking and practice of “Wai Tankung” or tai chi
exercise and take an abundance of fresh fruits, with an apple and kiwi plus a bowl of
oats for his breakfast and another after dinner.
He event wrote an article “When my kidneys failed” on the Sunday Star, 27 March
2005 and shared his practice of “wai-tan-kung exercise had his life brilliant” in
Mandarin, published in the World Wai Tankung Federation Ceremony, 16-18 October
2009, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Tzu Chi Organ Donation
Campaign at Kompleks
Rakan Muda Puchong
6 April 2008

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From a dialysis patient hooked onto Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneum Dialysis,
CAPD four times a day, and each session took half an hour to complete the bag
exchange of 2Litre dialysate solution to be infused into the abdomen via a surgically
inserted Tenckhoff catheter in the peritoneum, the cycle is repeated after a threshold
of four to five hours for five years, prior to living a new lease of life and raised his
lovingly loving twin girls, he is extremely fortunate to have someone generous
enough to donate a kidney.
For that, Lee lives his life in full.