Online Connections Begin Through Sharing Heart Transplant Information
News is spreading about two people who met through their shared experience of heart transplant surgery and are now tying the knot.
According to Yonhap News on the 5th, Ham Eun-ji (28), who underwent a heart transplant at age 13 due to dilated cardiomyopathy, and Choi Jae-won (34), who had a heart transplant two years ago due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, will hold their wedding on the 11th, Seoul Asan Medical Center announced.
Ham was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, around age 3 and was declared cured by elementary school, but at 13, she was diagnosed again with dilated cardiomyopathy.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a rare and intractable disease that occurs in about 1 in 100,000 children, caused by abnormalities in the heart muscle that reduce its contraction strength, leading to heart failure, arrhythmia, and other complications.
Ham needed a heart transplant because she could not carry out daily activities without cardiotonic drugs that strengthen heartbeats, and miraculously, she received a heart donated by a pediatric brain-dead donor within just two weeks.
However, due to her long battle with cancer, her family’s financial situation was difficult, making it hard to cover the surgery costs. At that time, Im Yu-mi, a nurse at the Congenital Heart Disease Center of Seoul Asan Medical Center and a professor in the Department of Nursing at Dankook University, extended a helping hand.
Im told Ham, "I will be your aunt," and after tirelessly seeking support, they raised the surgery funds with help from the Asan Social Welfare Foundation, the Korean Heart Foundation, Ham’s elementary school, and a neighboring school.
Under the guidance of Professor Yoon Tae-jin of Seoul Asan Medical Center’s Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Department, Ham successfully underwent surgery and later devoted herself to sharing her knowledge and experience to help other patients with heart disease.
She answered questions and resolved concerns on online patient communities frequently used by patients.
Ham and her fianc?’s relationship also began in this online community.
Choi, who was waiting for a heart transplant while relying on an extracorporeal oxygenator and a left ventricular assist device due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, felt grateful to Ham for her advice as someone with experience.
Choi then offered to buy Ham a meal, and this meeting led to their relationship blossoming into love.
Now soon-to-be spouses, they watch over each other’s health and visit the hospital together, becoming each other’s strongest supporters.
Ham told Yonhap News, "Especially female patients sometimes find it difficult to talk about marriage," adding, "Having reached 17 years since my heart transplant this year, I want to show others that I can marry, build a family, and live healthily like anyone else."
Ham also pledged to donate organs in 2021.
She said, "When even breathing was difficult, I miraculously received a second life through the noble gift of a donor’s life," and added, "I also want to turn someone’s desperate hope into dreams and hope through donation."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
