Ahmedabad man declared brain dead gives life to five patients

Vadodara: A 39-year-old Ahmedabad resident, who died after his bike hit a stray bovine in Anand, has given lives to five needy patients.
The deceased, Kunal Patel, who owned a provision store, had met with an accident on October 2 while returning to his hometown from Anand. He was shifted to Vadodara but doctors declared him brain dead on Tuesday.
Transplant for all the vital organs was planned. While both the kidneys were allocated to Sterling Hospital in Vadodara, lungs were allocated to Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai and liver went to Zydus Hospital, Ahmedabad.
“Kunal was travelling late at night when he had met with an accident with a cattle over road. He was taken to government hospital in Vadodara from where he was referred to Sterling Hospital,” said his cousin Ashok Patel.
Kunal’s unnatural death only added to the family’s grief which was mourning the death of his father who passed away a month ago. He is survived mother, wife and a 10-year-old child.
“The family spontaneously opted for organ donation. They had donated his father’s organs too,” said Ashok, adding that the family had the strong will to see Kunal alive in some or another form.
Doctors said it was a case of massive haematoma where neurosurgery was performed but his life couldn’t be saved due to the intensive nature of the injury. In the current year, this is the fifth organ donation at the city-based hospital.
“It gives immense satisfaction when we see such a positive attitude from relatives,” said Dr Maulik Vaja, consultant neuro and spine surgeon.
“This is first of its kind in Vadodara where two cadaveric kidney transplants were simultaneously carried out in a day at our hospital,” said Dr Archit Patel and Dr Madhav Tamhankar, consultant nephrologist and transplant physician.