Brain-dead girl helps save five others
5 Oct 2012 6:58 AM IST
Payal [name changed] is no more, succumbing to injuries sustained in an accident, but she lives on in five others to whom her organs were donated. The cadaver transplantation of the 17-year-old was carried out here after her parents consented to organ-harvesting realising that their brain-dead daughter will never return.
Her two corneas, two kidneys and liver have already been transplanted in five patients who urgently needed the organs.
‘It was an emotional decision for all of us. But we realised that our daughter was never going to return, so we decided to help others. The process of taking approvals from various authorities was arduous but we managed to do that in time,’ said Ajay Mathur, Payal’s father.
The doctors of the private hospital said the process of donating the organs witnessed lots of legal hurdles which were finally cleared after Delhi government’s health department looked into the matter.
Payal was hit by a speeding car in Ghaziabad on 23 August. She was admitted to a hospital in Ghaziabad but later shifted to BLK Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi on 25 August.
‘We declared her brain dead on 28 August after which her parents decided to donate her organs which shows their courage,’ said a doctor.
‘Since it was a medico-legal case and coordination of inter-state police was also required, it took us some time and the help of Delhi government. She was officially declared dead on 2 September and on the same day cadaver transplantation was done,’ said Dr Sunil Prakash.
‘In India, an average 14 people are involved in fatal accidents every hour. Of these, one brain dead person could save 7-8 lives which can overcome the shortage of organs for transplantation and prevent illegal activities of organ prostitution,’ added Prakash.
He said cadaver transplant awareness must be given a priority and efforts should be made to encourage hospitals and state governments to promote the programme in India.
Names of the patient and her family members have been changed for legal reasons.
‘I was diagnosed with chest tuberculosis in September 2009. The medicines I had to take as a result affected my kidney. In 2011 I had to be put on dialysis. My mother was willing to donate her kidney to save me, but if both we are a family of five, my parents and two siblings and if both my mother and I were unwell who would look after the family. I went to Calcutta too for transplant [from a live donor] but the surgery couldn’t take place due to some infection that I contracted. Finally, Payal’s [name changed] kidney gave me a new lease of life,’ says 23-year-old Shradha [name changed] . Shradha was pursuing engineering when she fell ill and hopes to return to college soon.
Payal was returning home from college on her scooty when she was hit by a car on 23 August. She was shifted to BLK Super Speciality Hospital on 25 August. She was found to be brain dead on 28 August. When the doctors approached her parents, they agreed to donate her organs. But since it was a police case involving two states [the accident took place in Ghaziabad and she was admitted in a hospital in Delhi] there was the lengthy procedure of getting permission from the authorities.
The permission finally came through on 2 September. The hospital had to constantly monitor Payal’s physical condition and keep her body functions as normal as possible [even though she was brain dead] so that the organs could be used. ‘The whole thing could be possible only because of Payal’s parents’ steadfastness. They gave us strength when we lost faith,’ said CEO, Praneet Kumar.
Her two corneas, two kidneys and liver have already been transplanted in five patients who urgently needed the organs.
‘It was an emotional decision for all of us. But we realised that our daughter was never going to return, so we decided to help others. The process of taking approvals from various authorities was arduous but we managed to do that in time,’ said Ajay Mathur, Payal’s father.
The doctors of the private hospital said the process of donating the organs witnessed lots of legal hurdles which were finally cleared after Delhi government’s health department looked into the matter.
Payal was hit by a speeding car in Ghaziabad on 23 August. She was admitted to a hospital in Ghaziabad but later shifted to BLK Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi on 25 August.
‘We declared her brain dead on 28 August after which her parents decided to donate her organs which shows their courage,’ said a doctor.
‘Since it was a medico-legal case and coordination of inter-state police was also required, it took us some time and the help of Delhi government. She was officially declared dead on 2 September and on the same day cadaver transplantation was done,’ said Dr Sunil Prakash.
‘In India, an average 14 people are involved in fatal accidents every hour. Of these, one brain dead person could save 7-8 lives which can overcome the shortage of organs for transplantation and prevent illegal activities of organ prostitution,’ added Prakash.
He said cadaver transplant awareness must be given a priority and efforts should be made to encourage hospitals and state governments to promote the programme in India.
Names of the patient and her family members have been changed for legal reasons.
‘I was diagnosed with chest tuberculosis in September 2009. The medicines I had to take as a result affected my kidney. In 2011 I had to be put on dialysis. My mother was willing to donate her kidney to save me, but if both we are a family of five, my parents and two siblings and if both my mother and I were unwell who would look after the family. I went to Calcutta too for transplant [from a live donor] but the surgery couldn’t take place due to some infection that I contracted. Finally, Payal’s [name changed] kidney gave me a new lease of life,’ says 23-year-old Shradha [name changed] . Shradha was pursuing engineering when she fell ill and hopes to return to college soon.
Payal was returning home from college on her scooty when she was hit by a car on 23 August. She was shifted to BLK Super Speciality Hospital on 25 August. She was found to be brain dead on 28 August. When the doctors approached her parents, they agreed to donate her organs. But since it was a police case involving two states [the accident took place in Ghaziabad and she was admitted in a hospital in Delhi] there was the lengthy procedure of getting permission from the authorities.
The permission finally came through on 2 September. The hospital had to constantly monitor Payal’s physical condition and keep her body functions as normal as possible [even though she was brain dead] so that the organs could be used. ‘The whole thing could be possible only because of Payal’s parents’ steadfastness. They gave us strength when we lost faith,’ said CEO, Praneet Kumar.
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