KOCHI: For Babu, who has undergone 860 dialysis procedures, and Sindu Ashok Kumar, another patient, the wait for a kidney donor finally ended, thanks to the family of a 37-year-old social worker T Byju. After Byju was declared brain dead on August 22 and passed away soon, his family decided to donate his organs to five people. In life, Byju was a selfless social worker and they wanted his goodness to reflect even during his death.
Babu, 56, who was undergoing treatment under Dr George K Ninan for the last nine years was in the waiting list of Mrithasanjeevani, a Government of Kerala initiative for organ donations, for the last five and half years. Meanwhile, Sindhu, 44,a patient of Dr Aby P Abraham, had been waiting for a donor since 2013, when she was diagnosed with kidney ailments.
On August 23, the kidneys were transplanted at VPS Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi, following which Babu and Sindu was discharged on September 5 and 8 respectively. Dr George P Abraham, chief transplant surgeon and urologist at VPS Lakeshore Hospital, said the surgeries started at 7am and lasted over seven hours. Nephrologists Dr Aby Abraham, Dr Georgy K Ninan, Urologist Dr Datson George, and Anesthesiologist Dr Jaya Susan Jacob were also part of the team who conducted the surgery.