A visit from Chen Shuying, 28, may not be good news for the loved ones of a seriously ill patient.

 

Chen's job is to persuade the relatives of dying patients to donate their loved ones' corneas, the first such job in the country, according to the Guangzhou Daily.

 

Chen has successfully persuaded 96 patients to donate their corneas, which in turn has helped 212 patients regain their sight. As many as 2 million people nationwide await new corneas every year. Only around 2,500 receive them. Now Chen has become the leader of a recently established volunteer team for organ donation consultation in Shenzhen.

 

Chen Shuying comforts the mother of a dying young migrant worker during a talk to persuade her and her husband to donate their son's corneas and other organs in this undated photo.

Chen's latest success was on November 4, when she met a young migrant worker's parents, whose son was dying. Chen offered to issue the couple a certificate and give financial support for their son's funeral but the couple refused.

 

"We would be selling our son if we accepted the money or the certificate," said the father, who persuaded his wife to donate their son's corneas among other organs. He said they received financial help for the boy's treatment from others, and that donating his organs was a way of returning the favor.

 

"You will see your son in the beneficiary's eyes. Your son will be proud to have parents like you," Chen said to the couple, telling them their son's generosity would help five suffering people.

 

Her first days on the job, however, were fraught with bitterness and tears. She said her first attempt in 2003 ended in a scuffle with the relatives of a boy who had been declared brain dead. At other times, she was instructed to help carry the corpse, as the relatives viewed it as her responsibility.

 

"Like insurance salesmen, our job is to deal with people, so I have to learn to like being yelled at," Chen said.

 

Over the past three years, Chen has been hunting for news of deaths. She always rushes to the hospital if she hears of a traffic accident, as the corneas must be removed from corpses within six hours after death.

 

Some doubt Chen's sincerity, claiming her work is only to financially benefit hospitals. But Yao Xiaoming of the Shenzhen Eye Hospital denied this, explaining that hospitals only charge for holding the corneas and the operation. The corneas themselves are free.

 

"The corneas collected by our hospital are also donated to those who need them in other areas of the country," Yao added.

 

Professionals and volunteers like Chen are now appearing in other cities including Chongqing, Hangzhou and Shantou, but at present demand still far outweighs supply.

 

(China Daily November 16, 2006)