Lee Chen Hoe -Transplant recipient takes up baton

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Nation Home > News > Nation
Friday, 14 July 2017
Man gives back to society after
successful kidney operation
BY YIMIE YONG
Changed man: Lee is actively involved in organ donation campaigns.
PETALING JAYA: Lee Chen Hoe, a cadaveric transplant recipient, is thankful for
being given another chance at life after undergoing a successful kidney transplant
operation some 20 years ago.
Among other things, he is able to lead a normal life and complete his
postgraduate studies.
“Most importantly, I am able to attend my twin daughters’ graduation ceremony.
This is my biggest dream,” he said in a recent interview.
His daughters are accountants.
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2. Lee’s transplant operation was done at Hospital Kuala Lumpur in 1996, when he
received a kidney from an American engineer, C.H. Bender, who was declared brain
dead after suffering a stroke.
Bender’s family donated his kidneys and corneas.
After Lee recovered, the 59-year-old management consultant got actively involved
in organ donation campaigns, giving talks at hospitals, schools and volunteered
himself at various organ donation awareness events.
“I hope more people sign up to be an organ pledger. I have been through all the
pain and suffering, physically and mentally. I hope every patient will have the
opportunity like myself,” said Lee, who has pledged to donate his corneas.
As a former kidney dialysis patient, Lee said he was unable to donate his other
organs.
In 1991 when he was 33, Lee’s kidneys failed. His daughters were just two and a
half years old.
He was on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis for ve years before
undergoing the transplant.
He described his successful kidney transplant as equivalent to “striking the rst
prize in a lottery”, given that the average waiting time for a kidney is 15 to 16
years.
“Whenever I meet new friends or business associates, I will send them articles
related to organ donation,” Lee said.
He also prints les and thousands of key chains with organ donation messages to
distribute to the public.
“You wouldn’t know. If someone reads the message and it prompts one of them to
be a pledger, the person could be a life saver,” he said.
According to the National Transplant Resource Centre, there are 391,474 organ
pledgers in the country, which is just 1.23% of Malaysia’s 31.7 million population.
Lee travels quite extensively to share his experience about how kidney transplant
has given him a new lease of life.
Although most religions encourage organ donation, Lee said getting more people
to become organ pledgers remains an uphill task.
But he is undaunted and looks forward to creating greater public awareness on
the good of organ donation.
TAGS / KEYWORDS:
Family Community , golden hearts , transplant , kidney , Star Golden Hearts Awards , Golden Hearts Award
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