Bhubaneswar: A 16-month-old boy from the city has become Odisha’s youngest organ donor, giving new life to two patients, an AIIMS-Bhubaneswar official said on Monday. The parents of Janmesh Lenka made a courageous decision that transformed their personal tragedy into a beacon of hope for others.
Janmesh was admitted to the pediatric department of AIIMS Bhubaneswar on February 12 after inhaling a foreign object, which caused a blockage in his airway and led to breathing difficulties. Despite immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the intensive care team’s relentless efforts to stabilize him over the following two weeks, the child was declared brain dead on March 1, the official stated.
Recognizing the opportunity to give the gift of life to others, the medical team counseled the grieving parents about organ donation. They consented, allowing their child’s organs to be used for life-saving transplants.
Following their consent, a multidisciplinary team of surgeons and transplant coordinators quickly facilitated the retrieval and transplantation process.
The liver was successfully retrieved by the gastro-surgery team led by Dr. Brahmadutt Patnaik and transported to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in New Delhi, where it was transplanted into a child suffering from end-stage liver failure, the official said.
The kidneys were retrieved and transplanted en-bloc into a single adolescent patient at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. This complex surgical procedure was successfully performed under the leadership of Dr. Prasant Nayak from the urology department.
This marked only the second instance of en-bloc kidney transplantation in the state, a highly specialized surgical approach where both kidneys from a pediatric donor are transplanted together into a single recipient.
"In yet another landmark achievement, AIIMS Bhubaneswar facilitated multi-organ transplantation from Janmesh, who became Odisha’s youngest organ donor," the institute stated in a release.
Dr. Ashutosh Biswas, the executive director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, commended the transplant coordination team and the medical professionals involved, highlighting their relentless efforts in ensuring the successful execution of the organ retrieval and transplantation process.
He also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the parents for their extraordinary generosity, acknowledging their selfless decision during a moment of profound grief.
"The story of Master Janmesh Lenka and his parents’ decision serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of organ donation, especially in pediatric cases. Their noble act has not only saved lives but has also set a precedent for promoting awareness about pediatric organ donation in India," Dr. Biswas said.
Janmesh’s father works as a hostel warden at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
"I will not get my son back. But some other mothers will become happy after my son’s organs are transplanted into their children," Janmesh’s mother said.
According to Odisha’s government policy, Janmesh’s body was cremated after being given a guard of honor here on Monday.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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