年轻的捐赠者挽救了许多生命

When Zhang Jing died of a brain tumor aged 22, his family decided to donate his organs for transplant operations, a decision that could save several other patients.

"One of his kidneys is transplanted to an Uyghur adult, the other to a 12-year-old boy who had to come to the hospital three times a week for renal dialysis. Now the boy can play football and go camping with his peers when he is fully recovered," said doctor Wang Yujie.

Zhang Jing was a student in Xinjiang Agricultural University. He begun to suffer frequent headaches in November 2014, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the beginning of December.

His family could not afford surgery because they were already in debt from the medical fees for his father who recently died of cancer.

Although Zhang's university classmates from university raised the 70,000 yuan needed for surgery, the procedure could not save his life, and after ten hours of surgery, Zhang passed away.

His family decided donate his organs.

"Zhang Jing's organs can help others to extend their lives. I see that as another way of living in the world," said Zhang Lilu, Zhang Jing's brother.

China is in short supply of organs, partly because of a culture that dictates that bodies should be buried or cremated intact.

As China stops taking organs from executed prisoners for transplant operations and uses volunteer organ donations instead, people like Zhang Jing and his family will play a crucial role in sustaining the new organ donation system.