Her son's death was not in vain.[ Photo / Xinhua ]

A mother who donated her brain-dead son's organs to help five strangers has been praised for her selflessness.

Yuan Dezhen, a 40-year-old migrant worker from Shenzhen, has lived in the city's northern Longgang district with her family of five since 2006.

Yuan's husband and her youngest son, 11-year-old Tian Gan, were seriously injured in a car accident on January 6 this year. Her husband died in February and her son was declared brain-dead not long after, relying on a respirator and medication to sustain his life.

Yuan took the agonizing decision to take her son off life support and donate his organs on May 9.

His body was transferred to the provincial capital of Guangzhou, where his liver, pancreas and small intestine were given to Zhang, a 53-year-old diabetic and liver cancer patient.

Tian's kidneys were given to two female patients aged 38 and 68, while the boy's corneas brought sight to another two patients.

"Previously, life was a gamble for me. I did not expect the surgery to be such a success. There are no words for me to express my gratitude and respect for Yuan," Zhang said.

The mother's donation also touched the hearts of millions of Chinese online.

"Your selflessness has saved more sufferers. Your son is an angel. May he find peace in heaven," wrote microblogger "3 sheshidu."

"In spite of her grief, this mother donated her son's organs to save others. She showed us the greatness of maternity," said "haijiaotianya."

Yuan said it pained her greatly to see her son on the respirator. She slept just two or three hours a day while he was in the hospital, praying for a miracle.

"But after four months passed, I had to face his fate," she said. "I felt that if his organs could save just one person, his life could be extended."

Gao Min, an organ donation coordinator with the Shenzhen Red Cross Society, said: "It is impossible to imagine how hard it would be for a mother to make such a decision."

After the transplant operations were carried out in Guangzhou, Tian's body was sent back to Shenzhen. Yuan chose to donate his body as well, giving it to the Medical School of Shenzhen University for educational and research purposes.

"Yuan's decision to donate her son's organs is worthy of our respect," said He Xiaoshun, vice president of the No. 1 Hospital affiliated with Sun Yat-sen University. He was in charge of the transplant operations.

He said the number of organ donations rarely met demand.