Organs of Bihar youth, declared brain dead, give many new life

He survived a deadly mishap that killed 12 people and doomed him to a vegetative existence at the tender age of 17 years. Five days after having been declared brain dead, Rohit Sah's parents took a tough call and agreed to donate the organs of their son to those whom these could provide with a new lease of life.

"I feel proud. The lifespan of every mortal being is in the hands of god and no earthly power can prolong it. But our Rohit's heart shall beat in another body. "His liver and kidneys shall sustain other beings and his eyes would restore the sight of those who lost it. He has now an even bigger life," his father Ravindra Sah said in an emotion-choked voice.

The agriculturist from Dihjivar village in Muzaffarpur district, about 60 km from the Bihar capital, has been living in distress ever since the morning of March 7 when he received the news of his son's accident on a nearby highway. Rohit was among the passengers of an ill-fated car which rammed into a tractor-trolley laden with bricks, while running at high speed on the National Highway-28.

Occupants of the vehicle belonged to the same village, who had gone elsewhere and were returning home, excited at the prospect of celebrating Holi with their families. Eleven people in the car and one person atop the tractor trolley were killed while three others, including Rohit, received serious injuries.

From the SKMCH hospital in Muzaffarpur town, Rohit was referred to the IGIMS super specialty hospital in Patna, where his family members were crestfallen on Sunday upon being told by doctors that the teenager was "brain dead". "We were made to understand that life was over for the boy and that his heart would beat only as long as supported by machines. We cried and prayed for the strength to bear the pain. At the moment of unbearable anguish, we were told that his heart, liver, kidneys and eyes could give a new life to those in need for a transplant," his father said.

"It took us a while to overcome the horror at the thought of our son's body being cut and his organs pulled out. But, finally we took the call," he said.

The hospital's medical superintendent Manish Mandal said no sooner than the parents gave their nod, a missive was sent to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation in New Delhi, which got back with details of recipients. "Experts came from Kolkata to fetch the heart for a patient there. A green corridor was formed between the airport here and the hospital premises. The distance is not much but the step was taken to avoid traffic snarls.

"There is a time limit within which the heart can be explanted from the donor's body and implanted onto the recipient," he said. Another patient was flown in by an air ambulance from the national capital for the liver transplant which, Mandal said with a hint of pride, was the first instance of such a surgery being carried out in Bihar.

The patient's wife, who identified herself as Ritu Raizada, said in a video posted on social media: "I do not have words to thank Rohit's parents nor to console them in this hour of unbearable grief. For me, they are messengers of god. They have given a new life to my husband." Likewise, kidney transplant was performed on a patient from Phulwarisharif in Patna. This was relatively easy since IGIMS has conducted successful kidney transplants in the past, said Mandal. Corneas were similarly extracted and kept in the eye bank until recipients were found and transplants done, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)