Tamil Nadu: In Death, 12-Year-Old Avinash Gave New Lease Of Lives To 6 People Including A 1-Yr-Old Baby

Soon after 12-year-old S Avinash from Kottar in Nagercoli, Tamil Nadu was declared brain dead at a city hospital, his parents took a noble decision to harvest their son’s vital organs. Now, his organs have given a new lease of life to six patients in Chennai and Tiruchi.

The class-VII student from Kottar was hit by a bike on August 18 and suffered a major injury on his head. His condition deteriorated while he was admitted to hospital. The doctors told his father Swaminathan on Wednesday that his son is brain dead. He then consulted his wife Latha and decided to donate their son’s organs.

The doctors at the hospital immediately arranged for the transfer. The boy’s heart was taken on a plane from Thoothukudi airport to Chennai by a special chartered flight. While one of his kidneys and his liver were taken to Madurai and Tiruchi by road through a “green corridor”. Another kidney and the corneas were used locally.

According to K.R. Balakrishnan, director of cardiac sciences, Fortis Malar Hospital Chennai, the heart went to a little girl from overseas. She is around a year old and weighs just six kg. The surgery has been a success and the patient is fine.

Avinash’s liver went to a 32-year-old woman in Tiruchi with end-stage liver disease.

The police were extremely helpful in creating the green corridor to transport the organs.

The green corridor is a special travel route without red lights to ensure the transportation in minimal time with traffic signals being in manual mode. Even though a human heart can be preserved for up to four hours, the chances of success are higher if it is transplanted quickly.