In death, infant becomes youngest organ donor

MRIDULA CHUNDURI / TNN / Dec 11, 2006, 23:38 IST

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Showrya's family donated the one-and-a-half-year-old's organs, making him the youngest organ donor in India.

In death, infant becomes youngest organ donor

HYDERABAD: Four generations of his family served the Indian Army, battling enemies from across the border. His father is a Sena Medal winner and with Showrya as name, the boy seemed almost destined to follow.
But a fatal fall from the first floor balcony ended it all and the toddler was pronounced brain dead.
Then his family performed a rare gesture.They donated the one-and-a-half-year-old's organs, making Showrya the youngest organ donor in the country.
Showrya Malik fell off the balcony on December 8 in his Secunderabad home where his father, Sidharth Malik, is undergoing a training. He was declared brain dead the next day.

The same evening, his family decided to donate his organs. The recipient was found through the Multi-Organ Harvesting Aid Network (MOHAN) Foundation and on December 10, Showrya's eyes went to L V Prasad Eye Institute and his kidneys to a 31-one year old man.
"It was tricky. Showrya was probably the youngest donor of organs. In the limited time one has to harvest the organs, that is to retrieve and transplant them. We found one recipient who, except for being an adult, was suited to receive the kidneys. "Since it was from a child to a man, we transplanted both the kidneys,"said Dr S Sahariah, chief transplant neurologist at the city-based Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, where the transplant surgery was done.

As fate would have it, the boy's kidneys were fused. Doctors call it a horseshoe kidney and according to Dr Sahariah, though it will take a few days to know how the recipient's body has accepted it, he is sure that the man will have a healthy life.
"The kidneys will adapt to the new body and in time will grow along, on par with the body,"Dr Sahariah said. But, he is quick to give all credit to Showrya's family. "Medical miracles happen, but what the boy's parents did is unparalleled,"he says.
Ironically, Showrya's family went from his death bed to that of his great grand father's, who is in a hospital in Faridabad.
"My son has killed militants. He wanted his son to be a hero as well, and so decided to donate the organs. We assumed the organs will go to another child, but no matter, my grandson did save another life,"said Colonel (retired) S S Malik, grandfather of Showrya, told TOI.
"My family has been through this and it was decided that we would not keep Showrya on the ventilator too and that is when my son decided to donate his organs and we all agreed,"Col Malik said.

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