Bright and Caring High School Student Kim Donggeon
Six Lives Saved Through Organ Donation After Motorcycle Accident
Kim Donggeon, a 17-year-old high school student who dreamed of becoming an aircraft mechanic, passed away after giving six people a new chance at life through brain-death organ donation.
A seventeen-year-old high school student who dreamed of becoming an aircraft mechanic shared life with six people through brain-dead organ donation and passed away. Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency
The Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency announced on the 31st that Kim donated his heart, lungs, liver (split), and both kidneys while in a brain-dead state at Hanyang University Hospital on November 20. As a result, a total of six people were able to continue living thanks to his donation.
On November 16, Kim was on his way home riding a motorcycle when he slipped on sand piled up on the road and was involved in an accident. He was immediately taken to the hospital and received treatment, but ultimately never regained consciousness, and the medical team declared him brain-dead. Although his family was devastated as they watched their young son's condition deteriorate after the sudden accident, they decided to proceed with the donation, moved by the possibility of saving someone else's life.
Kim, who grew up as an only child in Seo-gu, Incheon, is remembered for his warm personality and always looking out for those around him. He would often bring coffee to his mother while she worked near their home, and he enjoyed riding bicycles from a young age. According to his family, he would buy broken bicycles secondhand, repair them himself, sell them, and use the money to buy clothes for his parents.
Showing a special interest in working with machines, he aspired to become an aircraft mechanic. As he entered his third year of high school, he was preparing to attend a school specializing in aircraft maintenance, and after obtaining his motorcycle license, he even studied maintenance skills on his own, demonstrating his passion.
His father, Kim Taehyun, said, "My wife lost her left leg in a traffic accident when she was young and lived with the inconvenience of a prosthetic limb, so she never thought about getting married. Then, at the age of 40, she met me, and we had Donggeon. We shared the happiest moments in the world together," adding, "Because he was our only son, we even called him 'Only One' as a term of endearment, and we poured all our love into him."
His mother, Bae Gyuna, gave her final farewell to her son. "Donggeon, thank you. You always told me you loved me, and we traveled a lot together. I was so happy," she said. "I wish we could have spent more time together, but I hope you are happy and healthy in heaven. I love you."
Lee Samyeol, President of the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency, stated, "I would like to express my gratitude for the warm love and generosity shown by Kim Donggeon, a young man full of dreams in his second year of high school, and his family who joined him in sharing life," adding, "I believe that such miraculous acts of saving lives will help make our society healthier and brighter."
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