MELAKA, Malaysia — A grieving Malaysian wife has made a deeply emotional decision following the sudden death of her 45-year-old husband — agreeing to donate five of his organs, including his liver, which was transplanted into a one-year-old child.
Tan Choon Yen, 45, died after suffering a severe brain haemorrhage that left him brain dead, according to reports by China Press cited by AsiaOne and Singapore’s Stomp. His wife, Jessica Lam Wen Yunn, 38, said she never expected that a casual conversation the couple had about organ donation would soon become a decision she would have to make herself.
A sudden headache changed everything
Lam said her husband complained of an intense headache on Aug. 22.
He took painkillers and initially appeared to treat it as an ordinary health problem. Two days later, however, Tan suddenly collapsed and was rushed to hospital.
Doctors found severe bleeding in his brain. After observation and further assessments, he was determined to be brain dead. Stomp, citing the family’s account to China Press, reported that two clinical assessments were conducted about six hours apart before the determination was made.
The family’s account also said Tan’s heart had stopped at one point and doctors attempted to resuscitate him.
His organs could still help others
After Tan was declared brain dead, doctors found that several of his organs remained suitable for donation.
His wife was told that potentially usable organs and tissues included his heart valves, lungs, liver, kidneys, corneas, skin and bones.
Lam ultimately consented to the donation of the first five — heart valves, lungs, liver, kidneys and corneas — while choosing not to donate his skin and bones because she wanted to preserve his appearance.
The donation and transplant procedures were carried out on Aug. 29, with a private hospital working with Melaka Hospital. The procedures reportedly took about 11 hours.
Tan’s liver was subsequently transplanted into a one-year-old child.
“The baby now has a chance to grow up healthy again,” Lam said, according to the reports.
A conversation that suddenly became a final wish
Perhaps one of the most poignant parts of the story is that Tan and his wife had actually discussed organ donation before his death.
Lam recalled that the couple had spoken about the subject after seeing a hospital building illuminated in green during an organ-donation awareness campaign.
At the time, she said, it was simply an ordinary conversation.
She never imagined that she would soon be making the decision on behalf of her husband.
Lam said she believed Tan would have supported her decision and described organ donation as something meaningful because it can help patients in need and allow part of a person’s legacy to continue.
A family grieving while another family receives hope
Tan leaves behind his wife and their three children — a 10-year-old son and daughters aged seven and five.
The family’s grief has been particularly difficult for their seven-year-old daughter, who was described as especially close to her father.
Their eldest son also had a deeply emotional connection to his father’s final days.
According to Stomp, the boy had planned to compete in a martial arts competition in Johor Bahru and hoped to win a gold medal to encourage his father to wake from his coma.
He ultimately won two gold medals, dedicating them to his father.
From one family’s loss to another child’s hope
The story also highlights the critical role of organ donation in Malaysia.
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health says organ and tissue retrieval after death must be carried out quickly to preserve organ viability, and organs for transplantation can be retrieved from patients who have been medically certified as brain dead.
Malaysia continues to face a significant shortage of available organs. A July 2026 parliamentary discussion cited more than 10,000 patients waiting for organ transplants, while about 424,000 people had pledged to become organ donors.
The government also provides an official organ-donor registration service through MySejahtera, allowing Malaysians and non-Malaysians to register their wishes voluntarily.
The green lights of remembrance
Following Tan’s donation, several hospital buildings were illuminated in green as a tribute, according to the reports.
For Lam, however, the most important legacy may be the lives his organs can help.
She said she was considering becoming an organ donor herself after her husband’s death.
Tan could not be saved from the haemorrhage that took his life. But through his family’s decision, a one-year-old child received a chance to grow up — turning an unimaginable loss into an act of hope.
Accuracy note
The account above is based primarily on the family’s statements reported by China Press, as relayed by AsiaOne and Stomp. Malaysia’s Ministry of Health sources were also checked for the broader organ-donation and brain-death context. I have not inferred the child’s medical condition, identity or prognosis beyond the family’s reported statement that the liver donation gives the baby a chance to grow up healthy.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D
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