Ever since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, we have been bombarded with mostly negative news, most of which is about the rise in number of COVID-19 cases and related deaths.
Optimistic news is in less supply these days. But, on reading this news, one might at least feel happy for the survivors. What can be called a heart-touching tale, a 62-year-old Navi Mumbai-based brain dead woman gave a new lease of life to four people.
The 62-year-old woman, from Panvel, was rushed to Navi Mumbai's Apollo Hospital in critical condition on September 26. On evaluation, she was diagnosed with intra-cranial Hemorrhage. Despite all the treatment and efforts, she did not recover and eventually was declared brain dead on September 29.
Doctors counselled her family members following which they agreed to donate her organs and the family consented. The hospital doctors then harvested the liver, kidneys, and lung from the deceased donor.
According to the hospital, the 62-year-old's liver was transplanted to a 39-year-old man from Kolhapur, and kidneys were transplanted to two patients from Navi Mumbai.
As there was no suitable recipient for lung in Maharashtra, a recipient was found in Chennai through the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre. In this regard, a 'green corridor' was subsequently created and the organ was transported from the hospital to Mumbai airport, covering a distance of 30 km in 38 minutes, and then flown in a flight to Chennai.
Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC) President Dr Mathur, thanked NOTTO (National organ and Tissue transplant organization) for facilitating Interstate allocation of Lungs to a needy patient in Chennai as there was no suitable recipient in Maharashtra.
Dr Atul Adaniya, Director, Medical Services, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, said, "We sincerely thank the generosity of the family, which has resulted in giving The Gift of Life to these patients in waiting. The family have lost their loved one, who will nurture life in 4 other people."
Dr Mathur also said that Deceased Organ donations have drastically decreased during the COVID pandemic because of fear in the mind of public and medical professionals about risk of transmission of COVID. "However in reality this has not happened in Mumbai so far during any of Deceased organ donations because of very strict implementation of safety and screening protocols of DHS Maharashtra," he added.
