Budigere tragedy: Father donates victim’s organs

Bengaluru: The city police created a green corridor to help move a heart from BGS Hospital to Narayana Health, a distance of 38 km, in 25 minutes on Sunday. The donor was none other than Kiran Kumar P. (17), who was seriously injured in a car accident near Budigere on December 12, and was declared brain dead early Sunday. With this, the toll in the horrific accident has risen to five. Eight teenagers, six from Silicon City College and two from Chaitanya PU College, had gone in a car to Nandi Hills when their car hit a speed-breaker, veered off the road and crashed into a tree.

Kiran’s father Prabhu Kumar gave consent to donate his son’s organs. One of his kidneys and liver were transplanted to patients at the BGS Hospitals, while his cornea was sent to Narayana Nethralaya. His another kidney was sent to Apollo Hospital. Mr Prabhu Kumar lost his wife last year in the same month.

“I lost my wife to some respiratory or lung problem and I couldn’t save her. Today, I could not save my son too and lost him forever,” said a grieving father Prabhu Kumar, father of Kiran Kumar P (17), who was battling for life after the horrific Budhigere road accident on December 12, which has now snuffed out five lives.

Kiran was reduced to a vegetative state after the accident and was undergoing treatment at Sri Venkateshwara Hospital in Madivala. Later, on December 17, he was shifted to BGS Global Hospital on Uttarahalli-Kengeri Road, where he breathed his last early Sunday.

The world came crashing down for Prabhu Kumar after the doctors broke the news that his son was brain dead at 4.40 am on Sunday. Keeping the memories of his wife and son’s alive, a devastated Prabhu decided to donate his organs for those in need. “Last year, I lost my wife in the same month and this year too, the fateful month took away my son,” said an inconsolable Prabhu, who was seen making arrangements to send Kiran's body for post-mortem.

“Prabhu is very depressed and disturbed and hasn’t even had food properly since yesterday. It is a huge blow for him,” said Lakshmi Narayan, his family friend. “He is still not able come to terms with his son's untimely death and is broken from within,” he added.

The city again witnessed a multi-organ donation as father of brain dead Kiran Kumar agreed to donate his son’s organs to help save lives. He was earlier counselled by the officials of Zonal Coordination Committee for Organ Transplants in Karnataka (ZCCK). Necessary clearances were then sought from ZCCK and the retrieval was carried out.

His organs were harvested and donated later in the day. The live heart was then transferred from BGS Global Hospital to Narayana Health City, located 38 kilometres away, in 31 minutes. The traffic police had facilitated a green corridor to ensure swift transfer of the live organ.

“As soon as we were informed that a heart needs to be transferred from BGS hospital to Narayana Health City, swift action was taken by the our team and the green corridor was created for a distance of 38 kilometres,” said M. A. Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

The heart was retrieved by Dr Julius Punnen, Cardiothoracic Transplant Surgeon from Narayana Health City. The retrieved heart was later used for a heart transplant surgery, which took around 90 minutes. The surgery was performed by a team of doctors led by Dr Ravi Shetty, Cardiothoracic Transplant Surgeon and it comprised of Dr Julius Punnen, Dr Bagirath Raghuram, Senior Transplant Cardiologist, Dr Srikanth K V, Cardiologist, and Dr Muralidhar Kanchi, Cardiac Anaesthetist.

The heart was successfully transplanted to a 35-year-old patient hailing from Delhi. “He was suffering from Restrictive Cardiomyopathy and waiting for a donor heart for the past five months. The cross match was done by TTK Blood Bank, which enabled the transplant to happen on time,” said a doctor.

The Budigere –Devanahalli Cargo Road accident death toll rose to five, after the doctors at the BGS Global Hospitals declared Kiran Kumar P., who was critically injured in the accident that took place on December 12, as brain dead on Sunday morning.

Kiran Kumar, 17, was a second year PU student in Silicon City College. The accident that took place on Budigere–Devanahalli Cargo Road and there were eight underaged students in the car, who had gone on a joy-ride to Nandi Hills. The driver lost control and the car rammed a tree and a boulder.

Kiran Kumar S. and Charles Froylin had died on the spot, while Srinivasa Bhat, succumbed at a private hospital in Indiranagar the next day. All the three were 17-years-old. On Wednesday, Sheshadhri alias Sheshu, 18, who was in critical condition, died at a private hospital in Bhattarahalli on Wednesday, following a massive cardiac arrest. Three others are still recovering from the injuries and shock. All were second PU students - six from Silicon City College and the other two from Chaitanya PU College.