In death, youth gives new lease of life to four patients

Chandigarh: In an act of generosity amidst tragedy, 20-year-old Sahil, from Kaithal (Haryana), has become a beacon of hope for two terminally ill patients and two corneal blind persons.

Sahil’s promising life was tragically cut short in a motorcycle accident on March 10. He suffered severe injuries and succumbed to a fatal head injury on March 13 at the PGI.

In a display of immense courage and kindness, Sahil’s father, Manoj, consented to donate all of his son’s organs and tissues following the declaration of brain death of his son March 13.

The medical team swiftly retrieved Sahil’s heart, kidneys and corneas after receiving the family’s consent. There was no matching recipient for the heart at the PGI. The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) facilitated its allocation to a recipient in MGM, Chennai, ensuring Sahil’s legacy lives on.

Prof Vipin Koushal, Medical Superintendent, PGI, and Nodal Officer, Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (North), praised NOTTO’s proactive intervention, which enabled the heart’s airlift by a 4 pm flight. A green corridor from the PGI to the international airport in Mohali was established with the cooperation of the PGI security, UT Administration and the police, facilitating the timely transport of the heart.

One kidney provided a second lease of life to a patient battling terminal renal disease at the PGI, while the other kidney was deemed unfit for transplant. The donated corneas restored sight of two corneal blind patients, bringing the total number of lives impacted by the donor’s compassion to four.