PGIMER once again witnessed ‘miracle amidst tragedy’ as young donor Sahil, just 20 years old, became a ray of hope for four in-waiting recipients with his family’s generous decision of organ donation amid their own grim tragedy.

This magnanimous act of organ donation impacted lives through transplantation, including one heart recipient in Chennai and one kidney recipient along with two corneal recipients at PGIMER.

Prof. Vivek Lal, Director PGIMER, expressing PGIMER’s indebtedness to the donor family, stated, “The donation made by Sahil’s family stands as a testament to the profound impact of altruism and the strength found in turning tragedy into an opportunity for life. Amid tragic demise of one’s own family member, thinking beyond to save some strangers’ lives is unexpected and unimaginable. No words are enough to convey our gratitude to them.”

The Director further shared, “At the same time, we cannot underestimate the commitment of the entire team of PGIMER involved in the process right from neurosurgeons, brain death certification committee, transplant coordinators, testing labs, treating doctors and especially intensivists who maintain the potential donor in the best condition for optimum usage of organs and transplant surgeons who save precious lives with their skill and synergy.”

A fatal accident on March 10, 2024, abruptly ended the brilliant life of Sahil, a young and promising 20-year-old from Kaithal, Haryana, son of Manoj.  The accident, involving a collision between two motorcycles, resulted in Sahil sustaining critical injuries.

Following the accident, Sahil was immediately admitted to a local hospital on the same day and subsequently shifted to PGIMER on March 10, 2024. In a precarious condition, ultimately leading to his passing on March 13, 2024, due to fatal head injury.

The medical team at PGIMER conducted a thorough assessment, leading to the declaration of Sahil’s brain death on March 13, 2024. It was during this difficult time that Sahil’s father, Manoj, demonstrated profound courage and generosity by consenting to the donation of all organs and tissues.

Manoj, the grief stricken but brave-heart father of young donor reflected on the decision to donate his son’s organs, saying, ” It’s something no family should have to go through.  We said yes to Organ Donation, knowing that his organs will continue to beat, see, and offer a new chance at life to others brings some solace. It is our hope that his legacy of generosity will inspire others to consider organ donation. “We knew it was the right thing to do,” said the father of the donor while maintaining his calm despite the grave tragedy. “We have done it so that our son lives through others. For our own peace and solace, we have done it. We want to motivate people on organ donation to realize that death is not the end of things; people can live on through others, through this.”

After the family’s consent, heart, kidneys and corneas were retrieved from the donor. Once the donor organs became available, it was time to act fast to ensure that the donor’s legacy continues.The cross-matching revealed no matching recipient for the heart at PGIMER. Therefore, we approached other transplant hospitals to explore options for matching recipients. . Finally, NOTTO intervened and allocated the heart to a matching recipient admitted in MGM Chennai.

Life-Saving Efforts: PGIMER’s Timely Coordination and NOTTO’s Intervention

Prof. Vipin Koushal, Medical Superintendent of PGIMER and Nodal Officer of ROTTO (North), highlighted, “Time being crucial, PGIMER’s coordinated effort ensured honoring the family’s sentiments.” NOTTO intervened, facilitating heart airlifting on a 4 pm flight on March 14th, aligning with retrieval timings. They established a green corridor from PGIMER to the International Airport, Mohali, with cooperation between PGI security, UT Administration, and Police. Otherwise, accomplishing this task would have been nearly impossible.”

Following this, the medical team retrieved one kidney from the donor, which, through transplantation, gave a second lease of life to a patient battling terminal renal disease at PGIMER. However, the medical team deemed the second kidney not transplantable.

The retrieved corneas of the donor restored the sight of two corneal blind patients. This way, the donor family’s rare gesture of compassion impacted four lives in all.