"Mom and Wife, Can't Let You Go Like This"... Son and Husband Who Gave Courage Were Descendants of Independence Activists

Each transplanted in a 2:1 ratio per side
"So touching it brought tears" praise

A retired police officer and his son each donated a portion of their liver to a woman in her 60s, who is both the wife and mother suffering from autoimmune cirrhosis. Notably, the husband, who is also in his 60s, was initially deemed unsuitable as a liver donor due to his advanced age, but after months of persuading the medical staff, he was able to undergo the surgery.

According to Yonhap News on the 17th, Ko Myung-ja (67), who had been receiving treatment for illness for 10 years, was in a situation where continuing treatment was difficult due to side effects from long-term medication.

Mr. Seo Gyu-byeong (68) and his wife Ko Myeong-ja (67). [Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, Ko’s husband Seo Gyu-byeong (68) and son Seo Hyun-seok (39) decided to proceed with the liver transplant as a last resort, but the medical staff discouraged them. In Seo’s case, his advanced age posed a potential risk if he underwent surgery. The son, Hyun-seok, also did not meet the general donor criteria in terms of the extent of resection possible.

However, after months of Seo persuading the medical team at Seoul Asan Medical Center, they were able to undergo surgery on the 25th of last month. They decided to donate one lobe of their livers each to Ko using a '2:1 transplant' method. It was reported that Seo even left his job after retirement in order to undergo the surgery.

The writing by Ms. Gomyungja on the whiteboard.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Thanks to her husband and son, Ko regained her health and expressed gratitude to her family. Because she had undergone a tracheostomy and could not speak, she wrote on a whiteboard, "Eat well and let’s live happily as a family," "I’m okay," and "I’m fine now."

Seo said, "I thought I couldn’t just let my wife go like that, so I decided to do the liver transplant together with my son," adding, "I hope to recover my health and daily life as soon as possible."

After their story was shared, netizens responded with comments such as "So touching it brought tears," "Only happiness remains. Wishing a speedy recovery," "A heartwarming story," and "It made me think about the meaning of family once again."

Meanwhile, the father and son are known to be the son and grandson of the late Seo Seong-seop, an independence activist and Korean War veteran. Seo is also reported to be a retired police officer who worked for a long time in investigative roles at the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency and Chuncheon Police Station.