THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: S Vinod of Kollam, whose daughter is a cancer patient, on Wednesday became the person from whom the largest number of organs was harvested in the state, giving a new lease of life to seven persons.
This is the first time that eight organs have been harvested from a brain-dead person in the state. It was also the first multi-organ retrieval procedure performed at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (MCH). The gesture of his family members helped fuel hopes of seven patients in need of organ transplantation.
Vinod’s heart went to MGM Hospital in Chennai; one kidney to KIMS Hospital here; another kidney to Thiruvananthapuram MCH; both arms, including the shoulder, to Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) in Kochi; and eyes (cornea) to the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology in Thiruvananthapuram. It also helped the Thiruvananthapuram MCH to complete the 100th kidney transplantation procedure.
Vinod, 54, of Thodiyil in Kilikollur, had suffered head injuries after his bike rear-ended a private bus near Kallumthazham in Kollam on December 2. He was declared brain dead at Thiruvananthapuram MCH on Tuesday. Vinod, who lost his job as a chef in a Gulf country following the Covid spread, is survived by wife Sujatha and daughters Geethu and Neethu.
Noble gesture
The family members, who live in a rented house, agreed to donate Vinod’s organs after doctors convinced them. His daughter Geethu, a cancer patient, was undergoing treatment at the MCH.