May 26th 2024.
In a heartwrenching display of compassion, the parents of a 21-month-old baby boy who was declared brain dead at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar made the selfless decision to donate their child's organs in order to save the lives of two others in need.
According to Professor Debasmita Rath from the hospital's Pediatrics department, the baby was born in July 2022 but unfortunately developed health issues soon after. Despite multiple visits to the hospital and receiving treatment, the infant's condition continued to deteriorate.
Finally, after being admitted for meningitis two weeks ago, the baby was tragically declared brain dead on Saturday after suffering from septic shock while in the ICU. In the midst of their grief, the baby's parents, Gouri Shankar Panigrahi and Sharmistha Panigrahi, who are both artists based in the city, expressed their desire to donate their child's organs in order to help others in need of transplants.
The hospital authorities then contacted the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, who reached out to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation to facilitate the donation process. It was decided that the baby's liver would be flown to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in New Delhi to save the life of another baby in need of a transplant. The kidneys were also donated to a local hospital for another patient awaiting a transplant.
A team from AIIMS Bhubaneswar took the necessary steps to harvest the liver and prepare it for transport to New Delhi. The local police even created a green corridor to ensure the smooth passage of the life-saving organ to the Biju Patnaik Airport.
Professor Rachita Sarangi, the Acting Medical Superintendent of the hospital, expressed that this was the first time in Odisha that the organs of such a young child had been donated to save the lives of others. Meanwhile, the baby's mother, Sharmistha, although devastated by the loss of her child, found solace in the fact that her baby's organs would give another baby the chance to live on.
In a world where tragedies often seem to outweigh moments of kindness, the selfless act of this family serves as a powerful reminder of the goodness that still exists in humanity. May the baby's organs bring hope and healing to those in need, and may his memory continue to live on in the lives he has saved.
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