Father donates organs of daughter, 9, who dies of brain damage after accident at school

A father in China decided to donate the organs of his nine-year-old daughter who died  from injuries suffered after she tripped when pushed by a classmate and hit her head on a wall.

The accident happened when the girl, Tongtong, and her classmates were  running “excitedly” out of their classroom in a primary school in Qinzhou, in southern China.

Tongtong is said to have passed out after she bumped her head into a wall in a corridor. Her father, Mr Huang Qin said on social media recently that surveillance camera showed a physical education  teacher half-carrying half-dragging his unconscious daughter to the teachers’ office,  South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Jan 14.

Tongtong came to moments later and was given some red sugar water and her form teacher asked if she felt uncomfortable. The girl shook her head as if to say that there was nothing wrong, according to reports.

Meanwhile, the teacher summoned the student who had pushed her,  and asked Tongtong if she could forgive her classmate, and Tongtong agreed.

“She was so young that she didn’t realise the seriousness of her injury. She then ran out to attend the PE class,” said Mr Huang.

It was only hours later on that  day, Oct 20, 2021, that  a teacher called to tell Mr Huang  Tongtong’ had been injured. When he got to his daughter,  he said he saw an egg-sized lump above her ear. He called an ambulance, but while waiting, decided to drive her to the hospital himself.

He recalled what his daughter said.  “She told me she forgot to eat lunch at noon. This is the last sentence my daughter left me.”

“I was distraught. I scolded the teachers, blaming them for not detecting the problem earlier.”

Doctors told him there was blood in her brain, an indication that they should refrain from operating on her, according to SCMP.

She died from brain damage nine days later.

In an update, Mr Huang said he decided to donate seven of his daughter’s organs, including her corneas, heart and kidneys.

“When I signed the organ donation document, I cried and my hands shook. The images of my child, so lively and cute, appeared in front of me,” said the mourning father.

“I don’t want to be a hero praised by others. I just want to let my daughter’s heart continue beating,” he said.

“I hope she could stay in this world in another way. It is also a motivation for us to live on. I feel relieved that she has helped other people and saved their lives. We have received warmth from society before and now we’ve tried our best to return to society. I believe my daughter will support my decision.”

Mr Huang also said that the school has apologised to him and promised to strengthen how they handle safety.

KidsHealth advises parents to seek medical attention when children or teenagers suffer any head injury, especially if they lose consciousness for more than a few minutes, and there is vomiting, confusion, seizures and worsening headaches./TISG

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