13-year-old Ching Ching needs a heart and lung transplant. The Hospital Authority earlier issued a public appeal for organ donations. Ching Ching remains in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Hong Kong Children's Hospital in critical condition. Her parents have written an open letter urging the public to consider donating the heart and lungs of their deceased loved ones to give Ching Ching a chance to live. They said their daughter had always recovered well after every surgery or treatment and returned home, but this time "knowing that she may never come home again has hit her very hard."
The Hospital Authority stated that Ching Ching has blood type O+ and weighs 25 kg. Suitable donors should have blood type O and be between 130 and 150 cm tall. She has congenital heart disease and was admitted to hospital in May with her condition continuing to deteriorate. She now suffers from pulmonary hypertension and heart failure, is in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, and relies on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to sustain her life. A heart-lung transplant is the only option to save her life, and she is currently at the top of the transplant waiting list.
In their open letter, Ching Ching's parents said that all prenatal check-ups before her birth showed she was a healthy foetus. But six hours after birth, doctors suspected a heart problem and she was transferred to the Paediatric Cardiology Department at Queen Mary Hospital, where she was eventually diagnosed with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect. Over the past 13 years, Ching Ching has had to frequently visit the hospital for check-ups, various tests, and even surgeries. Due to her poor heart and lung function, she has weak immunity, gets sick easily, has limited mobility, and has often had to take leave to rest at home. In the past year, her condition worsened — since the start of the school term last September, she has only attended school for half a day, making it difficult for her to make or maintain friendships with classmates or peers.
The letter said that Ching Ching has known since childhood that she has a heart condition. Although she sometimes needed to be hospitalised for treatment or surgery, she always recovered and went home. "So this time when she was admitted to hospital, and after learning that she might not be able to go home again, it was a huge blow to her." Her parents said that while Ching Ching appears emotionally stable, "we know that she is actually worried and scared every day, and has to endure the pain and discomfort from various life-support tubes." The letter revealed that Ching Ching avoids talking about her condition. Whenever the topic of her current condition or what lies ahead comes up, she cries and says, "I'm so scared," "I'm so scared of surgery," "I'm scared the surgery won't work," and "I'm scared I won't be able to go home."
Her parents said this breaks their hearts, but all they can do is comfort her, telling her to trust the doctors and to stay strong. The letter said that soon after being admitted, Ching Ching's heart failure affected other organs, and she had to be placed on ECMO to stay alive. She then underwent five surgeries in eight days, two of which lasted more than 12 hours. During this time, she also suffered complications including a brain haemorrhage and a lung infection.
The letter acknowledged that finding a matching heart for transplant is extremely difficult, let alone finding both a heart and lungs. "But we still have faith that we can get help and that Ching Ching will get her miracle." Her parents stressed that they understand receiving a heart and lung donation means that someone deeply loved has passed away. "But we still pray earnestly that if your loved one is at the end of their life, we beg you to consider donating their heart and lungs — so that your family member may continue to exist in another form in this world, and also give our daughter a chance to live."
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