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Donor 'designated kidney expressly' for Tang
Tue, Jan 13, 2009
The Straits Times
By Teo Wan Gek, additional reporting by Nur Dianah Suhaimi and Estelle Low
Shortly before he received a new kidney last Friday, Mr Tang Wee Sung and his family became aware of the identity of the donor, said a family spokesman yesterday.
But, he added, Mr Tang, 56, and the donor did not know each other.
The Straits Times reported yesterday that the donor was believed to be triad leader Tan Chor Jin, who was hanged at Changi Prison last Friday.
The spokesman said the donor had expressly designated Mr Tang, the former chairman of department store CK Tang, as the recipient of his kidney.
He added: 'When you have someone who wants to donate to you, you don't have to be in the queue.'
He declined to confirm if Tan was the donor, saying 'we want to respect the privacy of the donor's family'.
At Tan's wake yesterday, both his wife, Madam Siau Fang Fang, and his elder brother, Mr Tan Chor Juay, said that they were not aware of Tan designating a recipient for his organs.
The Tang family spokesman said that Mr Tang was in a stable condition and was being closely monitored by doctors.
Asked when he will be discharged from the National University Hospital (NUH), the spokesman said that will depend on his condition and how well the kidney functions.
When The Sunday Times visited the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at NUH at noon yesterday, a female relative was waiting in the visitors' lounge.
Mr Tang could be seen in his room and was awake and being fed by a nurse. He looked alert and was not hooked up to any machine.
Shortly after, a male relative and Mr Tang's brother Wee Kit, 54, chairman and chief executive officer of Tang Holdings, arrived. They spoke for a few minutes to Mr Tang, who was sitting up in bed.
At about 1pm, Mr Tang was transferred to another ward. According to the nurses, his condition was good and had stabilised.
The male relative said: 'We're all happy he's well. He's been sick for a long time.'
Two relatives stayed on in the visitors' lounge while Mr Tang Wee Kit and the male relative left after visiting hours were over at 2pm.
Said the spokesman: 'There has been expression of well wishes, but due to limited visitation, just flowers and cards have been sent to his home and hospital.'
He said that when Mr Tang received news of an available donor kidney, 'he was very hopeful'.
There are no plans yet for Mr Tang to contact the donor's family.
'At this point in time we are focused on Mr Tang's recovery,' said the spokesman.
According to doctors interviewed, cadaveric organs that are harvested, whether from brain- dead patients in hospitals or hanged prisoners, are given to patients on the national transplant waiting lists.
There are lists for people needing kidney, liver, cornea and heart transplants, and this is managed by the Ministry of Health.
Under normal circumstances, when a cadaveric kidney is available, the patient with the best blood and tissue match will get it.
How long a patient has waited is secondary, said a kidney surgeon who declined to be named.
The average wait for a kidney in Singapore is nine years. Many renal patients die or get dropped off the list - because they are too old or too sick - before they can get one.
In 2007, Mr Tang was beset with end-stage renal failure. He needed dialysis six times a week, unlike other renal patients who have dialysis three times a week, his lawyer revealed in court last year.
It was reported that he had earlier been struck off the waiting list. Last October, he underwent triple heart bypass surgery and was deemed well enough for a transplant after that.
Last year, he was arrested here for trying to buy a kidney from an Indonesian. He was jailed for a day and fined $17,000 for the offence.
Tue, Jan 13, 2009
The Straits Times
By Teo Wan Gek, additional reporting by Nur Dianah Suhaimi and Estelle Low
Shortly before he received a new kidney last Friday, Mr Tang Wee Sung and his family became aware of the identity of the donor, said a family spokesman yesterday.
But, he added, Mr Tang, 56, and the donor did not know each other.
The Straits Times reported yesterday that the donor was believed to be triad leader Tan Chor Jin, who was hanged at Changi Prison last Friday.
The spokesman said the donor had expressly designated Mr Tang, the former chairman of department store CK Tang, as the recipient of his kidney.
He added: 'When you have someone who wants to donate to you, you don't have to be in the queue.'
He declined to confirm if Tan was the donor, saying 'we want to respect the privacy of the donor's family'.
At Tan's wake yesterday, both his wife, Madam Siau Fang Fang, and his elder brother, Mr Tan Chor Juay, said that they were not aware of Tan designating a recipient for his organs.
The Tang family spokesman said that Mr Tang was in a stable condition and was being closely monitored by doctors.
Asked when he will be discharged from the National University Hospital (NUH), the spokesman said that will depend on his condition and how well the kidney functions.
When The Sunday Times visited the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at NUH at noon yesterday, a female relative was waiting in the visitors' lounge.
Mr Tang could be seen in his room and was awake and being fed by a nurse. He looked alert and was not hooked up to any machine.
Shortly after, a male relative and Mr Tang's brother Wee Kit, 54, chairman and chief executive officer of Tang Holdings, arrived. They spoke for a few minutes to Mr Tang, who was sitting up in bed.
At about 1pm, Mr Tang was transferred to another ward. According to the nurses, his condition was good and had stabilised.
The male relative said: 'We're all happy he's well. He's been sick for a long time.'
Two relatives stayed on in the visitors' lounge while Mr Tang Wee Kit and the male relative left after visiting hours were over at 2pm.
Said the spokesman: 'There has been expression of well wishes, but due to limited visitation, just flowers and cards have been sent to his home and hospital.'
He said that when Mr Tang received news of an available donor kidney, 'he was very hopeful'.
There are no plans yet for Mr Tang to contact the donor's family.
'At this point in time we are focused on Mr Tang's recovery,' said the spokesman.
According to doctors interviewed, cadaveric organs that are harvested, whether from brain- dead patients in hospitals or hanged prisoners, are given to patients on the national transplant waiting lists.
There are lists for people needing kidney, liver, cornea and heart transplants, and this is managed by the Ministry of Health.
Under normal circumstances, when a cadaveric kidney is available, the patient with the best blood and tissue match will get it.
How long a patient has waited is secondary, said a kidney surgeon who declined to be named.
The average wait for a kidney in Singapore is nine years. Many renal patients die or get dropped off the list - because they are too old or too sick - before they can get one.
In 2007, Mr Tang was beset with end-stage renal failure. He needed dialysis six times a week, unlike other renal patients who have dialysis three times a week, his lawyer revealed in court last year.
It was reported that he had earlier been struck off the waiting list. Last October, he underwent triple heart bypass surgery and was deemed well enough for a transplant after that.
Last year, he was arrested here for trying to buy a kidney from an Indonesian. He was jailed for a day and fined $17,000 for the offence.