When the chance came to have a liver transplant on the mainland, Mr Chan was not too concerned about where the organ came from.
The 58-year-old cirrhosis sufferer likened the alternative to sitting in Hong Kong waiting to die.
'Although I doubted the quality of mainland hospitals, I still chose to go, because it was my only option,' said Mr Chan, a hepatitis B carrier.
In 2003, cirrhosis was found on 80 per cent of his liver after he began to vomit blood. But because his liver function was still adequate, he was low on the transplant list, which ranks patients according to their liver function.
'I kept on vomiting blood from time to time, but none of my family members was suitable to donate part of their livers to me.'
Mr Chan said he knew if he continued to wait in Hong Kong for livers from people who had died, he would eventually die himself. 'Therefore, my friends helped me collect information about liver transplants on the mainland,' he said.