'No way she could say no' to donating part of her liver to save 17-month old girl
The plea for help was from a stranger for someone she did not know.
But Ms Cherie Wong, 30, did not hesitate. She had seen pleas for organ donors on social media in the past, but could not help at the time as she was overseas.
So Ms Wong, who runs an e-sports and talent management company, sprung into action when she saw the appeal on Facebook asking for a liver donor to save a little girl's life.
Raenelle Wong, who is 17 months old, was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare liver condition, just one and a half months after she was born.
When doctors gave her six months to live, her parents, Ms Vicky Cheng and Mr Roger Wong, both 35, took to Facebook last September to ask for help.
Ms Wong was one of 50 volunteers who reached out, and Ms Cheng directed her to a transplant coordinator at National University Hospital (NUH).
"Donating blood or an organ is really something to think about, because if I'm in a position to help someone, how could I say no to that?" Ms Wong told The New Paper.
"I mean, how often do you get a match? Plus, the process was rather hassle-free. No way I could say no to donating then."
Ms Wong, who is married, added that her husband, family and friends were very supportive throughout the process, as they knew this was a cause that called out to her.
"The reason (I did this) is because Raenelle is so young. She was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease. If I can help, I should," she said.
Ms Wong was given the green light to donate in end-December after undergoing tests. She was warded on Jan 19, a day before the operation.
It was a keyhole surgery, which meant it was minimally invasive. She was discharged from NUH on Jan 25.
"After donating a part of my liver, I was left with 74 per cent of it. The doctors told me my liver is a good size because usually, donors (would) have only 50 per cent of their liver left," she said.
Her recovery went smoothly.
"I was already taking slow walks a day after the procedure," she said.
Ms Wong said she received a card from Raenelle's parents expressing their overwhelming gratitude.
"The card was very sweet. I didn't expect it at all. I'm thankful that they made an effort to make the card despite everything going on in their lives."
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