In an extraordinary deed of humanity, a 12-year-old boy from Kolkata who was himself awaiting a kidney transplant for a period of time before being declared brain dead gave life to five others. Despite the unfathomable sorrow, the parents agreed to donate his organs, thereby giving the gift of life to patients throughout India.
The boy, a Class VI student, had been treated for chronic kidney disease and was on dialysis for almost five years. On the 28th of March, he was admitted to CMRI Hospital in Kolkata after a sudden deterioration of health. Tragically, he suffered a brain haemorrhage and was declared brain dead on May 20.
In an extremely touching gesture, the heart was taken all the way to a hospital in Mumbai; the liver and one kidney went to two patients at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals; whereas the other kidney was used at CMRI itself. It is the second organ donation case from CMRI and is rare in that a former transplant candidate became a donor.
In honour of this courageous child, the hospital mounted a guard of honour while doctors, nurses, and staff stood in respectful silence saluting not merely a patient but a hero. The boy has now passed into eternity, yet here lies his memory, immortalized through the lives he helped save.
“Miraculous gift of life has transformed the hospital and will always stand out, along with the 12-year-old patient and his parents as beacons of hope. Their courage and compassion in what should have been considered darkest hours inspires all of us to shed some rays into the dark and embrace the spirit of giving,” says Mr. Sombrata Roy, Unit Head, CMRI Hospital.
In a world often weighed down with loss and suffering, such a story shines as a beacon of light about how compassion and strength change lives during great tragedies.”
