Grieving mum pulls the plug to fulfill teen's wish to help others
For three weeks, a 52-year-old mum watched her teenage son lie in coma.
And amid her immense grief when informed by doctors that her son was brain dead, she decided to pull the plug and donate his organs.
Woodlands Secondary School Sec 2 student Isaac Loo collapsed during a 2.4km run in the morning of May 2. He was taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital and fell into a coma.
Madam Fiona Soo kept vigil by her 14-year-old son's bedside, hanging on to the hope that he would wake up.
Her husband died of liver cancer in 2022. Madam Soo and her family are permanent residents who hailed from Ipoh.
On May 25, just four days after Isaac's 14th birthday, doctors told Madam Soo that her son was brain dead after conducting a series of medical tests, TNP understands.
The news crushed Madam Soo, who kept replaying in her mind the final farewell she bid her son, who was in The Boys' Brigade, when she sent him to school.
"The doctor said Isaac could have fallen into a coma because his heart could not bear the load during intense exercise, which led to arrhythmia," she told Lianhe Zaobao.
"Our family has no history of this disease, and Isaac had never complained of heart discomfort. The incident happened too suddenly."
When she learnt that there were more than 400 patients waiting for organ transplant, she thought of how her son had always expressed his dream of helping others.
"I thought about it from his perspective and decided to donate his organs."
According to the Ministry of Health, organs are taken only from a person who has been declared brain dead.
More than 30 family members and friends turned up at the hospital to bid farewell to Isaac. They provided support to Madam Soo when she signed the documents and, together, they watched the boy get wheeled away.
Doctors completed organ transplants on May 26. Isaac's organs, which included the corneas, liver, kidney and pancreas, benefited at least three patients.
Church volunteer Chen Rui Zhu said: "Isaac was helpful and likable. Church members called him 'baby'. He once said that he wanted to contribute to society, but I didn't expect that he would accomplish it in this way."
Isaac's wake is being held at 754A Woodlands Circle. He will be cremated on May 30.
Editor's note: The story has been updated to reflect the correct school name.
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