Kuala Lumpur: Organ transplant transcends all barriers and this was exemplified by the case of Tee Hui Yi who initially received a much-awaited heart from a Malay donor.
Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said at a time when people were talking about the racial divide and fundamentalists, a Malay heart was given to save the life a Chinese girl.
"Sometimes, we look at every issue from the perspective of race and religion. But when it comes to life and death, when there is a child on the operation table, it doesn't matter whether the heart is a Muslim heart or not," he said at the 20th Gerakan Youth and Wanita Delegate's Conference.
An organ donor himself, Hishammuddin was moved by Tee's case, calling it "unique and touching." "Such stories give us hope," he said, citing it as an example of national unity.
Tee's body later rejected the heart and a new heart from another accident victim, a Chinese, was planted into her. Acting Gerakan president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon said Tee's case was just one example of racial integration.
"In all the hospitals in Malaysia, blood transfusions are going on every day.
Have you ever asked if the blood is from a Chinese or a Malay?
"This is human blood, a life-line and something that we take for granted. We need to remind ourselves that such things are happening." Almost two years ago, Muhammad Fikri Nor Azmi underwent a heart transplant. Now 17, Fikri is kept alive by the heart from a non-Malay donor.
Fikri, who was the country's first mechanical heart patient, is today leading a normal life. He underwent surgery in December 2005.
This article was originally published by The Daily Express.
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