Five aspiring Chinese musicians whose lives have been changed by transplants have honoured the Australian teacher whose organs gave them a second chance by fulfilling his dream of starting a band.was 27 when he died in May 2018 from complications of type 1 diabetes. His liver, kidneys and corneas saved the lives of three people and restored eyesight to two others.
“We had no music sense in the past [but] now we have, ” Mo Li, a 36-year-old woman who has one of Hancock’s kidneys, told Heilongjiang TV Station in a documentary about the group last month. Chen, a former truck driver who lost the sight in his right eye after being splashed in the face with pepper water, said in the programme: “Brother, thank you for letting me see light again. I’ve told my family that when I die, if my things [organs] are useful, I am willing to donate.”
After winning the contest, Hancock travelled to China “because he speaks Chinese so well”, the 63-year old said. “It was at this time that Phillip made a decision to live and work in China, teaching English.” After a funeral service in China, Hancock’s ashes were taken back to Australia and interred besides his grandparents.
Chen said playing bass had become his hobby, Wu said practising guitar had made his life more busy and significant, while Tan said she was afraid she might get left behind by the band and practises once she is free of her farm chores, the report said.