Himachal Pradesh: After death, Hamirpur boy gives life to four

CHANDIGARH: "Sahil was the picture of life itself - an active, healthy, lively boy whose smile would light up any place he walked in. He was the best one can ever get in everything he did. Kind spirited and sporty, Sahil was an NCC cadet and loved playing outdoor games. Even in his passing also, he infused life in others through organ donation.” said an inconsolable father Bhim Singh of 17-year-old Sahil from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh when he consented for his brain dead son’s organ donation.

Bhim Singh’s magnanimous gesture resulted in saving life of four patients suffering from end stage organ failure and battling for survival, one at R&R New Delhi, second at IKDRC Ahmedabad and two at PGIMER Chandigarh. The retrieved corneas, on transplantation will restore the sight of two corneal blind patients here at PGIMER.

It was the fateful day of October 8, when a joyous ride on Activa turned into a tragedy for Sahil as the two-wheeler skidded on a bumpy road, making Sahil lose the balance and his head hitting the pavement leading to grievous head injuries. On getting the tragic news, the family first rushed Sahil to a local hospital and then shifted him to Govt. Medical College, Tanda. Seeing no improvement in his condition, Sahil was shifted to PGIMER in an extremely critical condition on October 10.

Despite all the efforts, Sahil could not be revived and subsequently he was declared brain dead on October 15.

Following the family's consent, the team of the doctors secured his heart, liver, kidneys and corneas. "As the cross matching indicated no matching recipient for heart and liver in PGIMER, we immediately got in touch with other transplant hospitals to explore options for matching recipients and finally the heart was allocated to Army's R & R Hospital, New Delhi and liver was allocated to IKDRC, Ahmedabad with the intervention of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation," said Dr AK Gupta, medical superintendent, PGI.

Elaborating about the Green Corridors created for the case, Dr Vipin Koushal, Nodal Officer, Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation PGIMER shared, “To ensure safe and speedy transport of the harvested organs, two Green Corridors had to be created in conjunction with the retrieval timings. The first one was created from PGIMER to Technical Airport Chandigarh at around 3pm for the transportation of retrieved heart and second one was created at 3.15pm from PGIMER to International airport yesterday to enable safe passage for the transport of liver for the onward flight to Ahmedabad.”

The harvested kidneys were transplanted in two renal failure patients here in PGIMER. Before the transplants, both the matching recipients were suffering from the last stage of debilitating kidney ailment and had been dependent on dialysis for long. The retrieved corneas, on transplantation will restore the sight of two corneal blind patients here at PGIMER.