Australian died in China - and thus saved several lives

27-year-old Philip Hancock taught English in China. In May he unexpectedly fell ill and died soon after. He became a posthumous donor - and his organs helped change the lives of five people at once. Details reported with the BBC.

Photos: family personal archive, PETER HANCOCK

Hancock died in Chongqing on May 9 from complications associated with type 1 diabetes.

According to the Chinese Red Cross, he became the first foreign donor in Chongqing and only the seventh in the country’s history.

Hancock's liver and kidneys were used in three life-saving surgeries.

The corneas of his eyes helped two more people begin to see again.

Organ donation in China is not a common practice; according to this indicator, the country occupies one of the last places in the world.

Unsurprisingly, Hancock's "posthumous gift" caused a stir on Chinese social media, where he is called a hero and an angel.

"Help in any way"

Philip Hancock has lived in China for four years with type 1 diabetes. Then the disease began to give complications, and the Australian became seriously ill. When his relatives flew to China, Hancock was already in a hospital in a state of coma.

According to the doctors, on the way to the hospital, the patient's heart stopped beating temporarily and he suffered a clinical death.

Photos: family personal archive, PETER HANCOCK

Studies in several hospitals have shown that Hancock's brain has ceased to function.

“Nothing could be done,” said Bi-bi-si Philip's father Peter Hancock. “We knew he was leaving, although his heart continued to beat.”

Doctors told Philip's family that the longer his life was artificially maintained by the life support apparatus, the worse his internal organs became.

“It was very difficult: we had to make a decision as quickly as possible and disconnect him from the devices,” recalls the father. “A lot of people don’t think about organ donation during their lifetime, but fortunately Phil mentioned it.”

“He always thought that if he was in a similar situation, he would want to donate his organs so that they could help someone. He always wanted to help people. That’s why he became a teacher,” says Peter.

Donation in China

The low popularity of organ donation in China is largely linked to the traditional perception in the country that the body should remain intact after death.

Many also have false preconceptions about organ donation, says Dr Kelvin Ho of the Hong Kong Organ Transplant Foundation: "People think that if they agree to donate their organs in advance, doctors won't try very hard to save the patient's life."

There are also concerns about the black market for donor organs. In 2015, China stopped using organs from executed criminals for transplants, a practice that accounted for two-thirds of transplants.

It is not surprising that Philip Hancock's story was published in state media, Dr Ho explains: "This example should show the public that even non-Chinese are willing to become donors."

Although overall donation rates remain low, the number of organ donors in China increased last year.

Philip's relatives say that they receive a huge number of letters of thanks. He was written by one of those who transplanted the organs of his son.

“He writes how grateful he is to all of us for Philip’s noble deed. Philip saved his life and gave him at least 40 years to live,” says Peter.

Such messages help parents to temper the bitterness of loss a little, he is sure.

“Some people tell us: don’t grieve too much, because part of Phil now lives in other people. Although this is not much consolation for us parents. And although we are very glad that our son helped people, we would really like him to return to us.”

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