As many as seven people got a gift of life from the family of a young man from Chandigarh. The young man was declared brain dead, and his family donated his body parts. Among those seven, five of the recipients underwent organ transplants, while the other two got the gift of sight.
Rajesh, a 23-year-old young man, became unconscious due to a grievous head injury after a sudden fall at his home on January 3. The family first rushed him to GMSH-16, from where he was transferred to PGIMER and was admitted there on the same day, in an extremely critical condition. However, on January 12, he was declared brain dead after following the protocols as per THOA 1994.
The transplant coordinators at PGIMER approached Mandodri Devi, Rajesh’s mother, to request if she could consider organ donation. The courageous mother consented to organ donation.
The transplant surgery of heart and lungs to matching recipients was done in New Delhi and Gurugram through two successfully accomplished green corridors. The liver, kidneys, pancreas, and corneas were allotted to matching recipients in PGIMER.
The heart was given to a 30-year-old male patient admitted to Army R & R Hospital, New Delhi. Rajesh’s lungs were allotted to a 55-year-old male matching recipient in Medanta, Gurugram, with the intervention of NOTTO.
The harvested liver was transplanted to a 60-year-old male recipient who was wait-listed with the department of hepatology at PGIMER. A 26-year-old male patient turned fortunate to receive a simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant, while another, a 32-year-old male, got a second kidney. The retrieved corneas, on transplantation, restored the sight of two corneal-blind patients. All three of these patients were admitted to PGIMER, Chandigarh.
After giving consent to donate her son’s organs, Mandodri Devi said that their tragedy was too gruesome for words. After Rajesh’s father's demise, he was the only breadwinner in the family and a ray of life for her. But now the world is completely doomed. Maybe God took her son because others were to get a new lease on life because of him. He was able to do more than many can achieve in a lifetime of hundred years."
Expressing his heartfelt gratitude and admiration for the donor family, Dr. Vivek Lal, PGIMER director, stated, "In the face of grim tragedy, the decision of Rajesh's family to consent to organ donation is a beacon of hope. Their selflessness has given a new lease on life to seven in-waiting recipients. It stands as a testament that generosity and compassion can exist even in the darkest of times."
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi)
