June 06, 2018, 05:07 PM 
Gan Beng Seng has passed away from liver failure on June 5, 2018, at around 10pm.
You might recall him as the 47-year-old man who was urgently seeking a liver donor after being hospitalised on May 23, 2018 for acute liver failure:
He leaves behind a wife and two sons.
Appeal on Facebook
It was previously known that Gan had required a liver transplant in order to survive.
To appeal for potential donors, his wife Chua Wanjin created a Facebook page.
As of June 3, she wrote a Facebook post saying that Gan was still able to undergo a transplant. All that was needed was a "suitable donor:"
"The doctors conducted various scans and blood tests which all returned positive results, indicating that he’s still fighting hard to stay in the condition for transplant. All we need now is a suitable donor."
Many stepped forward to donate
In response to the page, many netizens stepped forward and indicated their interest in donating.
Both Gan's brother and his friend, Ron Tan, assisted in the preliminary assessment of donors.
Tan told Mothership that this involved using a questionnaire provided by the hospital to make sure that donors met some basic requirements. He also had to ensure that they are aware of what the donation would entail.
Anyone found to be eligible would then move on to the next stage.
Tan shared that it was "heartening" to know that close to 100 people approached him, indicating their interest to donate.
However, the process is a tedious one — the willing party would have to undergo various stages of tests, which includes medical tests and psychological assessments.
"It is very difficult to find someone who is suitable because the tests are so stringent."
[related_story]
Four were a good match
Tan shared that three matches were intially found — two from family members, and one from a member of the public.
But none of them eventually went through with the surgery, he told us.
Tan revealed that the member of the public had backed out due to opposition from his family.
And despite their willingness, the two family members were also unable to donate in the end. Proceeding with the surgery would be too risky for them, according to the doctors' assessment.
Window for transplant closed
A glimmer of hope surfaced on June 4 when a fourth donor was found to be suitable.
However, it was too late by then, as Gan's condition had deteriorated so severely that he was unfit for surgery.
On June 5, and it was announced on the Facebook page that the window for transplant was closed.
He passed away shortly after.
Mechanics of liver donations
Here are the avenues for liver donations:
Liver donations
The donated liver can come from either a deceased or living donor.
In deceased liver donation, the organ is retrieved from organ donors under the Human Organ Transplant Act, which allows for organs to be donated in the event of death.
All Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents above the age of 21 and above, and who and are not mentally disordered, are included under the HOTA unless they have opted out.
Anyone can also volunteer to be a living organ donor as long as they are above 21 years of age and fulfil the necessary requirements.
Despite these avenues, hundreds of people are still waiting for a suitable organ to become available.
Top photo from Appeal For Liver Donation For Gan Beng Seng & Chua Wan Jin's Facebook.
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.