A 17-year-old girl from Kerala donated a part of her liver to her ailing father, becoming the youngest organ donor in the country. The transplant surgery took place on February 9 at the Rajagiri Hospital in Thrissur, as per India Today. The father, Pratheesh a resident of Kolazhi in Thrissur suffers from hepatocellular cancer. When his condition turned worse and the family’s pursuit to find a suitable donor turned futile, led the family’s daughter Devananda came forward to donate a portion of her liver to her 48-year-old ailing father.
Devananda, a student of Class 12, had to undergo a massive lifestyle change to ensure her liver is in the best condition during the time of donation. She made changes in her diet and also joined a local gym to regularly exercise. Since minors aren’t allowed to donate organs, the 17-year-old had to knock on the doors of the Kerala High Court to take legal permission for the procedure. She approached the court after coming across a similar case where a teenager was allowed to donate an organ.
A committee under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, of 1994, highlighted how the teenager cannot be exempted from the age bar pertaining to organ donation by minors.
Kerala HC’s Justice VG Arun, after carefully considering the teen’s plea, urged the committee to reconsider their decision. Following the request, another team of experts gave a recommendation in Devananda’s favour. The spirit of the 17-year-old was lauded by the judge who also praised her fight to save the life of her father.
The surgery was performed after the cancerous lesions in Pratheesh’s liver worsened tremendously. The surgery was performed by an experienced team of surgeons led by Dr Ramachandran Narayanmenon, chief of Multi-Organ Transplant Services at the Rajagiri Hospital.
Keeping in mind the teenager’s valiant effort to save her ailing father, the hospital management has decided to waive all the medical expenses.
After staying at the hospital for a week, the 17-year-old has been discharged by the facility on Sunday, February 19.
Devananda said that she is proud, happy, and even relieved that she got permission to do this bit for her father.
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