Woman donates organs to 7 after dying of heart failure

The organs of a woman who died after suffering cardiac arrest have been donated to help seven individuals, the state-run organ donation agency said Wednesday.

Lee Mi-jeong, who passed away last month at the age of 37, left her heart, lungs, liver, both kidneys and both eyes to be transplanted, according to the Korea Organ Donation Agency. She suffered critical cardiac arrest in July, which left her brain dead.

The bereaved family of Lee said they saw organ donation as a way of keeping a part of her alive. "Although we cannot see you again, we'll believe that you are alive somewhere," Lee's mother Lee Je-sun said in a goodbye message to her daughter.

Formerly an employee at an animal hospital, the Busan native was described by her family as vivacious and always extending a helping hand to others. She once encountered a dog about to be euthanized and brought the dog home to live with her.