A Devoted Family Man in His 50s Who Volunteered on Weekends... Saved 4 Lives and Went to Heaven

Providing Free Side Dish Service for the Elderly and Disabled

A housewife in her 50s who has volunteered for the elderly and disabled gifted new lives to four people through brain-dead organ donation and passed away peacefully.

Park Jeong-hee (56), a housewife in her 50s who had been volunteering for the elderly and disabled through the Korea Organ Donation Agency, passed away after donating organs following brain death, saving four lives. [Image source=Korea Organ Donation Agency]

On the 27th, the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency announced that Ms. Park Jeonghee (56) donated her heart, lungs, and left and right kidneys through brain-dead organ donation at Donggang Hospital on the 5th. Ms. Park lost consciousness and collapsed at home in the early morning of the 3rd and was transported to the hospital. Despite the medical staff's active treatment, she eventually fell into a brain-dead state. She had undergone surgery for a cerebral infarction in 2019 and was diagnosed with Moyamoya disease after a cerebral hemorrhage occurred in October last year. Her family agreed to organ donation according to Ms. Park’s wish to participate in life-sharing while alive.

Born as the eldest daughter among two sons and three daughters in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, the deceased was a diligent person with a calm and quiet personality who always sought out what needed to be done first. She worked in an office when she was young and, after marriage, became a devoted wife and mother caring for her husband and their son and daughter as a housewife. As a Christian who enjoyed reading the Bible, she took the lead in helping those in need by volunteering to prepare free side dishes for elderly and disabled people living alone on weekends.

Ms. Park’s son said, "I still can’t believe that I won’t be able to see my mother again," and added, "I will do many good deeds and live well as you taught me, so please stay healthy in heaven." Lee Sam-yeol, director of the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency, expressed gratitude, saying, "We thank the donor who devoted herself to her family and helped neighbors in hardship and the bereaved family who shared the noble spirit of life-sharing." He continued, "The beautiful image of the donor who saved other lives at the end of her own life will warm and brighten society."