Parents of 11-month-old baby donate organs

In an unheard of nobel 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.

The ironical twist makes the baby the youngest donor in PGIMER’s transplant history so far since the cadaver renal transplant program initiated in 1996, a statement from Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research said on Thursday.

Though the boy’s parents originally belong to Nepal, they live in Chandigarh at present.

On July 6 the 1-month-old was playing in his baby cot but suddenly rolled over and fell from the cot and became unconscious due to fatal head injury.

The family immediately rushed the baby to Govt. Medical College, Sector 32, Chandigarh from where the case was referred to PGIMER and the infant was shifted on July 6 itself.

Attempts to revive the baby proved futile, as Pritam continued to remain on ventilator. "Finally, when the doctors called me and my wife Geeta, both of us instantly knew it was terrible news. We can’t blame anyone but our own destiny," said Lakshman, the father of donor infant, while trying to come to terms with the dark reality.

When the attending doctors broke the news to young parents Geeta and Lakshman that their beloved son Pritam wouldn’t pull through here at PGIMER, they knew they didn’t want his death to be in vain. “It’s something no family should have to go through.  We said yes to Organ Donation because we knew this could help some one else and they wouldn’t need to go through the heartache that we were going through.  We knew it was the right thing to do,” said the grief stricken but brave-heart parents of angelic Pritam.

Following the consent of the parents, the baby's kidneys were retrieved and transplanted to an adult.  Though the first priority was pediatric recipients, however, the cross match identified an adult recipient so both the kidneys were transplanted to the same patient in view of the recipient’s age.

Expressing his sentiments at the benevolent act of the donor family, Jagat Ram, Director PGIMER stated, “The latest case of cadaver organ donation is an epitome of humanity and self-sacrifice on many counts; the donor family being originally from Nepal, their resolute spirit  to see this transplant through despite braving the loss of their little baby who was yet to celebrate his first birthday; PGIMER’s determined efforts to honor the noble wish of the donor family and even civil society’s wholehearted  support for the financially broke and care deprived recipient.“

The Director said PGIMER’s team of experts right from neuro-surgeons, pediatricians, intensivists, transplant surgeons, transplant coordinators, complimented by the extended support from testing labs and nursing units, has enabled this rare and landmark transplant within a crunched time frame.

Giving details, Prof Ashish Sharma, Head Deptt. of Renal transplant Surgery, PGIMER, said, “The case had its own kinds of challenges. According to organ donation norms for babies under the age of one, two confirmatory tests to declare a baby brain dead must have a gap of 24 hours. So, it was a herculean task for the pediatricians and intensitvists to maintain the donor infant through that time gap. Also, the retrieval process of kidneys demanded extreme deftness and skill to accomplish it successfully. Even, the transplant had its own difficulties as the best matched recipient was an adult so both the kidneys had to be transplanted onto one recipient considering the age factor. But it was the rock solid determination of the donor family that pushed all of us to make it happen.” 

Prof. Vipin Koushal, Nodal Officer, ROTTO PGIMER, highlighting the importance of community engagement in Organ Donation, said, “It has been observed that people generally seem convinced about the noble cause of Organ Donation. But when it comes to pledging  for Organ Donation, they would put it off to another time. The right time is ‘NOW’.  Your one ‘YES’ to organ donation may save many precious lives.”