KOCHI: Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit — John 12:24
In death, Aalin Sherin Abraham bore much fruit — giving new life to four others — as Jesus taught in the parable of the grain of wheat. On Friday, the 10-month-old became the youngest organ donor in the state.
Following an accident on February 5, Aalin had been undergoing treatment at Kochi’s Amrita Hospital. She was declared brain dead on Friday afternoon. Even in the midst of their pain, her parents, Arun Abraham and Sherin Ann John, from Mallappally, Pathanamthitta, decided that her death should not be in vain, and pledged to donate her kidneys, liver, eyes, and heart valves.
The organs were transported from Amrita Hospital to Thiruvananthapuram in an ambulance, for which the police arranged smooth passage. The vehicle started off by 7pm and it reached the destination in 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Aalin was travelling from Kottayam to Tiruvalla with her mother and grandparents when their vehicle met with the accident. The baby lost consciousness immediately, while the other occupants suffered serious injuries.
Though she was taken to hospitals in Changanacherry and Tiruvalla, her condition did not improve. On February 6, Aalin was shifted to Amrita Hospital.
“Treatment was initiated as soon as she was brought in. But efforts to revive her proved in vain. Doctors confirmed brain death on Friday,” Amrita Hospital authorities said. The organ donation process was coordinated by the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation.
‘Aalin’s family has set an example’
“Aalin’s heart valves will be sent to Thiruvananthapuram Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, while her liver will be received by Thiruvananthapuram KIMS Hospital,” said Dr Noble Gracious, executive director of K-SOTTO. “The kidneys will be donated to a 10-year-old paediatric nephrology patient at Thiruvananthapuram MCH and a six-month-old baby at KIMS Health will receive the liver. Aalin’s eyes will be donated to the eye bank,” he added.
“We are deeply saddened by her demise. But I take a moment to thank the parents for their decision to save the lives of others. We share in the family’s grief,” Health Minister Veena George wrote on Facebook.
Aalin’s family has set an example, said Dr Noble. “This is a paediatric organ donation, and involves several challenges. We conducted all the necessary tests and have identified the right recipients. Yet, it requires more care and higher dosage of medicines. What is most important is the willingness of the parents to donate the organs,” he told TNIE.
Aalin’s body was handed over to her relatives in the evening after inquest proceedings and a guard of honour. The vehicle carrying the organs covered over 220km from Ernakulam to the state capital in a record time of about 3.20 hours. The ambulance reached KIMS hospital around 10.30pm where the liver was handed over, and later sped to the MCH where her kidneys were received, and finally arrived at Sree Chitra Hospital where the heart valves were handed over.