Brain-Dead Noh Yeon-ji Donates Organs to 5 People During Freediving Lesson, Giving New Life

A male English instructor in his 30s, who was taking freediving lessons at an indoor swimming pool, was declared brain dead and later passed away after giving the gift of new life to five people, a fact that was revealed belatedly.

According to Jeonnam National University Hospital (Director Ahn Young-geun) on the 8th, Noh Yeon-ji (33) was found in cardiac arrest while taking freediving lessons at an indoor swimming pool in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City on the afternoon of December 10 last year and was transported to a nearby hospital via 119 emergency services.

No Yeon-ji, who was declared brain dead during a freediving lesson and gifted new life to five people through organ donation.
[Photo by Jeonnam National University Hospital]

She was later transferred to Jeonnam National University Hospital but was diagnosed brain dead on the 21st of the same month due to hypoxic brain injury. On the 22nd, through organ donation, her liver, kidneys, pancreas, and other organs were transplanted to five patients hospitalized at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Severance Hospital, and others.

Noh was working as an English academy instructor and was known for her planned and meticulous personality, as well as her love for children and animals. She had pledged organ donation several years ago and had switched from working at a company that produced teaching materials to teaching children at an English academy, fulfilling her desire to teach.

Noh’s mother said, “After deciding on my daughter’s organ donation, I heard that one of the recipients was a child about 1 to 2 years old, and I hope they grow up healthy and well. I thought it would be nice if my daughter’s heart was transplanted and was breathing somewhere with me, but it was very unfortunate that the heart transplant could not be done due to an autopsy.”

Her mother also said, “I heard that organ donation is not widely known socially, and there are many people waiting to receive donations. Although my daughter has gone to heaven, I hope that people in similar situations to mine can make good decisions, knowing that a part of my daughter is still alive in this world.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.