KOLKATA: A 12-year-old boy who battled renal failure for over a year and died four days after a kidney transplant surgery at a city hospital is set to give a fresh lease of life to a child desperately in need of a liver in Mumbai while his corneas will give vision to two others. Umang Galada, who was declared brain dead at CMRI Kolkata on Tuesday, is Bengal's youngest deceased organ donor.
A student of class 8 at South City International, Umang was suffering from chronic kidney disease for which he needed a kidney transplant. He was admitted to CMRI on March 28 but the wait for a matching donor kept getting longer, worsening his condition and aggravating his parents' agony.
"Time was running out and to save our son my wife offered to donate her kidney even though their blood groups did not match. The renal transplant surgery went off fine, but Umang later developed cardiac issues leading to his death," said father Ujjwal, who works for the NGO India Autism Centre. The boy's mother, Jyoti, is still in hospital recuperating from the kidney retrieval surgery.
Doctors said following the transplant on May 15, the boy was doing well with good urine output, indicating a successful renal transplant but he later developed other complications, including conditions of the heart. As his condition kept sinking, doctors noticed signs of brain death and informed his parents, who volunteered to donate whatever org-ans were viable if their son's condition was irreversible.
'Extraordinary act of generosity' Jyoti said from the hospital bed, "I understand the pain and agony of waiting for an organ. That is why we decided to donate our son's organs which can eliminate sufferings of others battling organ failure."
"My boy was a lovely child, full of life and academically good. He was interested in AI. Even as his worsening health kept him home, he would keep himself occupied with different activities with no shade of desperation or depression. I hope he gives the same positive vibe to whoever receives his organs," the mother said.
After receiving consent from the parents, the hospital conducted tests that confirmed brain death and informed Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (East). Doctors found that only the liver was viable for transplant. On finding no matching recipients in Bengal or other hospitals in the east, ROTTO shared the information with NOTTO, the national body, and the liver was allocated to a child in Mumbai.
"In an extraordinary act of generosity and compassion, the boy's family consented to donation, giving the gift of life to others in need. His story inspires us all to embrace the spirit of giving and cherish the value of life," said Sombrata Roy, unit head at CMRI.