2-yr-old Kenyan national becomes India’s youngest pancreatic donor

PTI, Oct 30, 2024, 8:28 AM IST

Representative image (Credit: iStock)

Chandigarh: A 2-year-old boy, a Kenyan national, has become the youngest pancreatic donor in India after a transplant procedure at Chandigarh’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the hospital claimed on Tuesday.

He granted two terminally ill renal failure patients a renewed opportunity for health and happiness through simultaneous pancreas and kidney (SPK) transplant in one and solo kidney transplant in another, PGIMER said in a a statement.

Additionally, his family’s decision has enabled cornea transplantation, giving two more individuals the ‘gift of sight’, it said.

This case marks a significant milestone as the first foreign national case of organ donation at PGIMER and making the boy the youngest pancreatic donor in the country, the hospital said.

On October 17, the infant sustained severe injury from an accidental fall at his home near Chandigarh and was rushed to PGIMER in a critical condition, it said.

Despite efforts of the doctors, he was declared brain dead on October 26 and his family chose to donate his organs, the release added.

The hospital’s statement, while quoting the boy’s mother, said, “While our hearts are shattered into a million pieces, we find solace in knowing that his organs will give life to others in pain. This act is our way of keeping his spirit alive, and I hope it brings peace to our family and hope to those who are suffering.”

PGIMER Director Professor Dr Vivek Lal expressed condolences to the grieving family and stated, “This case highlights the critical importance of organ donation.”

“The loss of such a young life is profoundly tragic, but the noble choice made by the family serves as a powerful reminder of the extraordinary potential for kindness, turning a moment of despair into a precious gift of life for others,” he added.

Sharing details about the case, Dr Vipin Koushal, Medical Superintendent, PGIMER and Nodal Officer, Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (North), said, “After receiving the family’s consent and the necessary clearances as per the law and from the Kenyan High Commission, the medical team at PGIMER successfully carried out a Simultaneous Pancreas and Kidney (SPK) transplant for one recipient, while another patient received a separate kidney transplant”.

Additionally, the transplantation of the boy’s corneas will allow two individuals who were previously corneal blind to regain their sight, therefore significantly impacting four lives, Koushal said.

Deliberating about the challenges in such cases, Dr Ashish Sharma, Head, Department of Renal Transplant Surgery, PGIMER, said, “Separating two kidneys at such a young age itself is very challenging given the small small size of the organs. Adding a pancreas transplant for one of the patients made the surgery even more difficult…,” Sharma said.