Organs from a brain-dead man have been transplanted into four patients, rebuilding their lives.

With consent of the man's family, doctors removed both corneas and kidneys from the man surnamed Lin, 23, from Shaoguan of Guangdong Province, on December 28, the second day after he was certified brain dead.

Between December 28 and January 13, one kidney was transplanted to a man in Guangzhou, the other was delivered to Wuhan Tongji Hospital in Hubei Province, saving a woman from Hunan who had serious kidney failure. The corneas were given to an ophthalmic hospital in Shenzhen and transplanted to two local men in the same period.

"The two patients who received cornea transplant operations have regained their sight and left hospital," Chen Zhonghua, the leader of the transplantation project as well as the vice-president of China Organ Transplant Society, told China Daily yesterday. "The other two are recovering," he added.

The donor was involved in a car accident on December 26, and was certified brain-dead next day.

His elder brother then suggested his organs could be donated. His suggestion was initially met a mixed response from the family.

Lin's mother was reluctant at first, but she then said it would be OK because in this way it seemed as if her son was still alive.

Another deciding factor was that Lin's father suffers from cerebral thrombosis, so they understood how a healthy organ could secure another's life.

The family then contacted the China Organ Transplant Society, and agreed to organ removal.

Having got Guangdong Provincial Health Department's approval, doctors assigned by the Society Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Medicine stopped Lin's treatment and removed the four organs.

Statistics show China now has around 1.5 million patients who need organ transplantation operations.

"So far the number of organ donation cases in China from people suffering brain death is only eight, including two in Guangdong," Chen Zhonghua said. The eight donors have totally donated 27 organs, secured 25 patients.

(China Daily January 17, 2006)