Honoring "19-year-old man" died in an accident; relatives donated his heart valve, liver, kidneys, and eyes, saving six lives and creating a final great merit.
On 31 May 2026, Dr. Sirichai Sorathatthamrong, Deputy Director of Phetchabun Hospital, presented a certificate of honor and a funeral wreath from the Thai Red Cross Eye Center and the Thai Red Cross Organ Donation Center to 19-year-old Mr. Wiwat Phukyu, who died in an accident. His relatives donated his organs to the Thai Red Cross, which helped save six other patients. Present to receive the honors were his grandmother, Mrs. Prathum Wongkamchan, 60, and his mother, Mrs. Chutikarn Wongkamchan, 41. Additionally, the Phetchabun Red Cross provided a funeral fan wreath for the occasion.
Mrs. Prathum Wongkamchan, the deceased's grandmother, revealed that Wiwat lived with her because his mother was a single parent working in another province. On the afternoon of 29 May 2026, around 5 p.m., Wiwat rode his motorcycle to request a medical certificate at Chon Daen Hospital to apply for a job at a factory in Chon Daen district. On his return trip, he was involved in a severe collision with a tractor and was rushed to Chon Daen Hospital before being transferred to Phetchabun Hospital.
He later was declared brain dead, which doctors considered equivalent to death. The hospital informed the family about the organ donation program to help others. The grandmother decided to donate all viable organs from her grandson, viewing it as a final great merit rather than letting them go to waste by cremation. She wished that the merit from this act would help his soul reach a good afterlife.
Mrs. Chutikarn Wongkamchan, Wiwat’s mother, said she works in Chonburi province and sends money to support her mother and son’s education. After graduating, Wiwat applied for a factory job and planned to start work in June but died in the accident before beginning. She fully supported her mother’s decision to donate Wiwat’s organs, as she herself had registered years ago to donate her body to the hospital. She believed donating organs benefits others far more than cremation and wished that the merit from her son’s donation would help his soul attain a peaceful and good afterlife.
Dr. Sirichai Sorathatthamrong, Deputy Director of Phetchabun Hospital, stated that after receiving the injured patient, the hospital provided full treatment until he was declared brain dead. The hospital’s organ donation staff then discussed the donation program with the family. The grandmother immediately agreed to donate without hesitation. The organs donated included the heart valve, liver, both kidneys, and both eyes, which helped save six patients awaiting transplants. This act is considered a very significant merit.