‘I had to run, I had to save him’: Woman, baby survive Ahmedabad plane crash inferno; her skin grafted to heal his wounds

AHMEDABAD: Eight-month-old Dhyaansh is all smiles today, his rosy cheeks glowing as he grins widely. After receiving skin grafts on his face, head and hands from his mother, Manisha, 30, the infant has recovered from what could have been fatal injuries. The son and wife of Dr Kapil Kachhadiya, a urology resident at Civil Hospital, were recently discharged from a city hospital after five weeks of treatment for severe burns they suffered in the aftermath of the AI 171 airplane crash on June 12.

The mother-son duo was in the BJ Medical College hostel and residential quarters in Meghaninagar when the tragedy unfolded.


Everything went black for a moment and then heat engulfed their residence. Manisha grabbed Dhyaansh and ran from the building through thick smoke and flames that made it nearly impossible for her to see anything. The hot air left the mother and child with serious burns. "There was a moment I thought we would not make it out. But I had to, for my child. We have both been through pain I cannot put into words," Manisha said.

While Manisha suffered 25% burns, affecting her hands and face, eight-month-old Dhyaansh's condition was worse with 36% burns on his face, both arms, abdomen and chest.

The duo was shifted to KD Hospital for treatment where Dhyaansh was immediately admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). He needed a ventilator to breathe, fluid resuscitation, blood transfusion care and specialised treatment for burns.

Dr Adit Desai, managing director of KD Hospital, said the case moved everyone involved. "It was deeply touching because of the mother's instinctive courage to save her child. From a medical standpoint, every department came together to ensure the best possible outcome."Dr Desai added that the hospital provided free treatment to six patients who were affected by the AI 171 airplane crash.

Dr Rutvij Parikh, plastic surgeon at KD Hospital, said that the child's own skin and mother's skin grafts were used to treat the burn wounds. "The patient's age was a major factor. We had to make sure the wounds did not get infected and that his growth would be normal. The recovery of the child and mother has been satisfactory."

"Dr Kapil's involvement as a father helped enormously. As a medical professional himself, he often made sure the dressings were done properly, even in the middle of the night," he added.

The treatment involved several specialists: Dr Snehal Patel, neonatologist and pediatrician; Dr Tushar Patel, pulmonologist and critical care specialist; and Dr Mansi Dandnaik, critical care and transplant intensivist.

Dr Snehal Patel described a serious complication that Dhyaansh faced. "Due to the incident, blood rushed into one side of the child's lungs. He was kept on ventilatory support, and an intercostal drainage tube was inserted until we achieved good lung expansion."