Kerala: Brain-Dead Man's Organs Give Fresh Lease Of Life To 8 People

A 39-year-old Kerala man's organs, who was declared brain dead after a car accident, were successfully retrieved and donated, giving a new lease of life to eight people.

Kelvin Joy, a native of North Paravoor, had met with an accident and was admitted to the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) on Wednesday. He was declared brain dead on Saturday, and his organs were donated through Mrithasanjeevi - the state government's deceased donor organ donation programme.

As per Kelvin's wishes, his family donated his heart, small intestine, liver, hands, kidneys, and corneas. His hands were donated to one patient, and five others at AIMS received his heart, small intestine, liver, and corneas. Meanwhile, his kidneys were donated to two patients at Lourdes Hosptial in Kochi and Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital.

According to health officials, it is said to be for the first time in Kerala, and perhaps in India, that the organs of one person are being donated to eight others.

Earlier there were instances when a single person donated organs to as many as six people. But this seems to be the first incident, even in the country, that the organs of a single person were being transplanted to eight persons, Mrithasanjeevani state nodal officer Dr Noble Gracious told Deccan Herald.

Meanwhile, State Health Minister KK Shailaja intervened to relax lockdown restrictions and facilitated the movement of the organs.