Three-year-old girl from Enikkara donates organs

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Three-year-old V. A. Anjana who was declared brain dead has donated her liver and kidneys to a five-year-old boy.

The girl from Enikkara, Karakulam, in Thiruvananthapuram district was suffering from brain tumour and was confirmed dead by doctors at the SAT Hospital Saturday afternoon.

Her corneas were donated to two patients at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology here.

Incidentally, the boy's father who was on the verge of donating his liver and kidney to his son, was spared from  surgery at the eleventh hour.

Anjana’s father S. R. Ajith is an employee of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and mother Divya a homemaker.

They wholeheartedly decided to donate her organs as doctors lost hope of reviving her. Her heart could not be transplanted as there was no suitable recipient from the same age group.

The child’s uncle, S. R. Arun, who works as a medical representative, told DC that she was perfectly fine until Thursday night when she vomited.

“Immediately, Anjana was taken to SAT Hospital and a second opinion was taken from Dr N. Suresh Nair, head of neurosurgery department at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology. Later Dr. Noble Gracious, state nodal officer of Kerala Network of Organ Sharing apprised us of Anjana’s deteriorating health. Her mother agreed to donate her organs without delay,” said Mr Arun.

Anjana was looking forward to go to a play school near her home after Onam holidays. Her funeral took place this afternoon. She also leaves her elder brother A. D. Arjun, a first-grade student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom.

Meanwhile, the father of the recipient child appealed to DC not to reveal his identity. The Vellarada native and a first standard student at a Neyyattinkara school was diagnosed with liver and kidney failure last August.

For months, he was admitted at SAT Hospital and was under the treatment of nephrologist Dr Susan Uthup and later the five-year-old was taken to St. John’s Hospital in Bengaluru.

“We had almost lost hope as the Bengaluru hospital also informed us that nothing could be done. It was a miracle when we got the call from Dr Uthup telling us about the three-year-old donor,” said the father, who works at the dairy development department.

Sources close to him told DC that he had got admitted at a private hospital to donate his liver and kidney to his son. On Saturday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy too called on him as he is a loyal Congress supporter.

The liver and kidney transplant started at 6 am Sunday under Dr P. Venugopal. “Since both the liver and kidneys are received from a single donor, it’s a positive thing. Only by Sunday night, we would be able to tell how the recipient was responding,” a hospital source told DC.