Final act of kindness: A brain-dead patient’s organ donation saves two lives

Vipan Kumar Puri, a 71-year-old retired accountant from Tower Enclave, Jalandhar, was known for his joyful spirit and willingness to help others. Even after his death, his legacy of kindness continues, as he saved two lives by donating his both kidneys.

Puri was admitted to Shrimann Super speciality Hospital in Jalandhar on January 23 after his blood pressure skyrocketed, leading to a haemorrhage stroke. A medical team determined that Puri was brain-stem dead, and a government-nominated team made the official declaration.

As his family struggled to come to terms with the situation, a team from the PGIMER, Chandigarh, was brought in to counsel the family about the option of organ donation. “We were initially hesitant and overwhelmed by grief, unable to accept that our father was gone,” said Rahul Puri, son of the donor, who works for a US-based multinational corporation.

“There were several awareness posters about organ donation at the hospital, but it wasn’t until we were constantly counselled by Dr Navdeep Bansal from the PGIMER that we began to consider it seriously.” While Rahul was open to the idea, some less-educated family members initially opposed the idea, even suspecting a potential scam.

However, after the process was explained and assured to be legal, supervised by the Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar, the family gave their consent for the donation. Despite their grief, the family was reassured by the thought that their father’s philanthropic spirit lived on through this final act.

“As we took him home, we couldn’t perform the ritual bath that is customary in our family, but we sprinkled Ganga water on him and bid him farewell,” Rahul shared. Once the consent was given, Punjab State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO-Punjab) and Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO-North) began the process of allocating the kidneys.

One kidney was allocated to a patient in a private hospital in Mohali, while the other went to a patient in a private hospital in Ludhiana. A green corridor was set up for the safe and swift transportation of the organs from Jalandhar to the two cities, thanks to the cooperation of the police and Jalandhar’s Deputy Commissioner, Dr Himanshu Agarwal.

As Vipan Puri’s body was transferred to the mortuary, the medical team honoured him with a guard of honour, a moment Rahul described as deeply emotional. “It was an incredibly proud moment for us. Our dad had emerged victorious even in his death, giving hope to two families. The support we received from the community was overwhelming, and I shared our story on social media to raise awareness,” Rahul said. Dr Rajeev Bhatia, director and nephrologist at Shrimann Super speciality Hospital, expressed his gratitude to the medical team and the Puri family. “This is the second time our hospital has facilitated organ donation after brain death.

We aim to establish a more extensive organ transplant programme to save lives in the region,” he said, noting that one brain-dead donor can save up to eight patients by donating kidneys, liver, lungs, heart and vital tissues.

Dr Bhatia also thanked Dr Vipin Koushal, nodal officer of ROTTO-North, and Dr Gagneen Kaur Sandhu, nodal officer of SOTTO-Punjab, for their support in creating awareness about organ donation. This remarkable act of giving back is expected to inspire others to consider organ donation.