11-month-old becomes youngest organ donor in PGI’s history

Chandigarh, July 12

In a rare gesture, a Nepalese couple donated the organs of their 11-month-old baby, giving a new lease of life to a terminally-ill patient suffering from renal failure at PGIMER here.

This makes the baby the youngest donor in PGIMER’s transplant history so far since the cadaver renal transplant program initiated in 1996, a spokesperson of the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research said today.

The boy’s parents originally belong to Nepal, but currently live here.

It was a picture-perfect moment for the boy’s mother on July 6. Her 11-month-old son was playing gleefully in his baby cot and she was thoroughly enjoying it, till the little one suddenly rolled over and fell from the cot.

Before the mother could realise what had happened, the baby became unconscious due to fatal head injury, said the spokesperson, detailing the incident.

The family immediately rushed the baby to Government Medical College, Sector 32, Chandigarh, from where the infant was shifted to PGIMER on July 6.

Attempts to revive the baby proved futile, as he continued to remain on ventilator.

The boy’s parents said today that finally, when the doctors called them both, they instantly knew their worst fears have become true.

When the attending doctors at PGIMER told the young parents that their son may not survive, they decided not to let their little one’s life go in vain and said yes to doctors’ advice of baby’s organs donation.

“We can’t blame anyone but our own destiny,” said infant donor’s father, trying to check his tears.

“It’s something no family should undergo. We said yes to the organ donation because we knew this could help someone else and they wouldn’t undergo the heartache that we were suffering from. We knew it was the right thing to do,” said the grief-stricken but brave-hearted parents of the infant.

Following the consent of the parents, the baby’s kidneys were retrieved and transplanted to an adult.

Though the first priority was pediatric recipients, the cross match identified an adult recipient so both the kidneys were transplanted to the same patient in view of the recipient’s age.

Lauding the benevolence of the donor baby’s family, PGIMER Director, Prof Jagat Ram, said, “This case of cadaver organ donation is an epitome of humanity and self-sacrifice on many counts.”         

Prof Ram also commended the works of the PGIMER medical team involved in the transplant. — PTI