Park Su-jeong, a veteran organ procurement coordinator with 13 years of experience, poses at the Korea Organ Donation Agency in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Park Si-mon
At 3:20 a.m., the piercing ring of a cellphone shatters the nighttime silence. For Park Su-jeong, a 43-year-old organ procurement coordinator, the volume is permanently set to maximum. She must answer within three seconds, no matter how deeply asleep she is.
When a hospital reports a patient with a devastating brain injury, Park sets out immediately, whether the call comes from Seoul or the farthest reaches of the country.
From the moment she opens the hospital doors, she compartmentalizes her emotions. Her duty is to inform devastated families that their loved one's organs could save others. Yet, she adheres to one unyielding principle — never persuade.
"Whatever decision they make, there must never be regrets left in the families' hearts," Park said. "Appealing to emotions by mentioning the beneficiary is strictly forbidden. The families of brain-dead patients should not feel like they decided something because they were caught up in the moment."
The raw grief she encounters often manifests as rage. Some lash out, telling her she is lucky they do not hit her because she is a woman. Others hurl bitter accusations, asking if she has ever lost a husband.
Park listens in silence. "That is all my duty, too," she said. She understands that the harsh words are born from uncontrollable sorrow.
When words fail, actions offer comfort. She silently removes her own coat to drape over shivering family members who have just lost a child, parent or spouse.
"A few days ago, I lent my coat to a mother who let her child go first," Park said. "When she returned it after the tissue recovery, white tear stains had dried on the sleeves. At that moment, the clothes felt so heavy."
Park has endured this emotional toll for 13 years, driven by the belief that someone must do the heavy lifting. Since 2013, she has worked at the Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA), a state-run agency under the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the nation's exclusive agency for brain-dead organ procurement. Under the Organ Transplant Act, all domestic hospitals must notify KODA when a patient with a devastating brain injury is identified.
Source: Korea Times News
