What started as a sudden medical emergency ended with a grieving family making a decision that could give others a second chance at life.
A 45-year-old Malaysian medium, Tan Choon Yen, suffered a brain haemorrhage and was later declared brain dead. Despite the devastating loss, his wife, 38-year-old Lam Wen Yunn, chose to honour a wish they had previously discussed, donating his organs.
The couple’s decision eventually helped save the life of a 1-year-old baby, who successfully received Chen’s liver.
Collapsed after complaining of a severe headache
Tan had complained of a severe headache on 22 August before collapsing two days later.
He suffered cardiac arrest and was rushed for emergency treatment. Doctors later found that the bleeding had spread throughout his brain.
After around 72 hours of treatment and observation, two separate brain-death assessments conducted about six hours apart confirmed that Tan was brain dead. With his organs still functioning well, doctors approached the family about organ donation.
His wife decided to donate his organs
Remembering their previous conversations about organ donation, Lam decided to give others a chance to live. He then became an organ donor, with his heart valves, lungs, liver, kidneys and corneas donated.
The family chose not to donate his skin or bones because they wanted him to look as natural as possible when they said their final goodbyes.
The organ retrieval procedure was carried out from around 3am to 2pm on 29 August, and his liver was successfully transplanted into a 1-year-old baby.
His son wanted to “wake dad up”
Tan’s 10-year-old son, Chen Yi Xuan, also struggled to accept what had happened. Before his father’s funeral, the young boy took part in the Forest City Cup martial arts tournament.
He reportedly wanted to win a medal in the hope that his achievement could somehow “wake his dad up”.
Instead, he returned home with an incredible three gold medals, as well as the Best Martial Arts Athlete award.
At his father’s wake, Yi Xuan performed a martial arts routine.
His mother later shared a video of the emotional moment, describing it as the academy’s final salute to Tan.
For the family, it was a heartbreaking goodbye, but also a reminder that Tan had given others something priceless: more time with the people they love.
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