A toddler from Gujarat, declared brain dead following an accident, gave a new lease of life to five children including two from Russia and Ukraine after his parents donated his organs.
On December 9, Jash Oza, a resident of Surat suffered a brain haemorrhage after he slipped from the balcony of a neighbour’s flat on the second floor of the apartment.
Jash’s heart, liver, lungs, both kidneys and eyes were donated after his parents Sanjeev Oza and Arachana agreed for the noble cause, said Nilesh Mandlewala, founder, Donate Life, a voluntary organization working to encourage organ donation.
His heart and lungs were transported to Chennai via air within 160 minutes. The heart was transplanted into a four-year-old child from Russia while the lungs were transplanted into a four-year-old child from Ukraine in MGM Hospital in Chennai.
“The family was shattered after doctors told them that their little one was brain dead. Sanjeev has also been creating awareness about cadaver donations and in such a difficult situation, he took a decision of organ donation. Jash was fondly called as ‘Babu’ in his family,” Nilesh Mandlewala.
Jash’s mother was hopeful of recovery when he once uttered the word ‘mummy.’ “But we explained to her that he was medically dead and his vital organs won’t be useful if they wait for too long. She was also convinced and told us that she wants to see Jash alive in more people,” Nilesh Mandlewala added.
The kidneys were transported by road to Ahmedabad’s Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC), covering 265 km in 180 minutes, via a special green corridor. One kidney was transplanted into a 13-year-old girl from Surendranagar and another into a 17-year-old girl from Surat. A two-year-old girl from Bhavnagar got a new life with his liver. The boy’s organ saved life of two four-year-old children from Russia and Ukraine as well.
(With inputs from TOI)
