KOCHI: The 27-year-old who played a pivotal role in saving hundreds of lives when he along with a friend ran along the railway tracks for nearly 500 m with a red bag to warn the loco pilot of a train about a crack on the rails has yet again become a saviour. However, unlike in 2010 when he was hale and hearty to receive the accolades with a big smile, Anujith is no more.
Even in death, the youth continues to serve others by donating his heart, kidneys, eyes and small intestine. Eight patients have benefited so far. On Tuesday, his heart was flown in from KIMS Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram to Lisie Hospital in Kochi where 55-year-old Sunny Joseph, a native of Tripunithura, was awaiting a new life on the operating table.
According to hospital sources, Anujith met an untimely death following an accident near Kottarakara. "He was at first treated at Kottarakara Taluk Hospital and then shifted to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital after his condition turned critical. But all efforts to save him failed and he was declared brain dead on July 17. Two apnea tests were conducted to certify brain death," said an official with the Kerala Network for Organ Sharing (KNOS).
Since taking the organ quickly to Kochi was a daunting task, the Chief Minister directed the authorities to use the helicopter hired by the Kerala Police earlier this year from Pawan Hans for a monthly tariff of Rs 1.44 crore to be used in anti-Maoist operations and during natural disasters.
"This is the second such trip being made by the helicopter. The organ donation could be made possible with the coordinated efforts of the district administrations of Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam along with the Health, Police and Traffic Departments of the two districts," said KNOS officials.
Anujith, who was employed as a driver with a private company, had recently joined as a salesman with a supermarket at Kottarakkara. He had lost his previous job due to the lockdown. His wife Princy works at a jewellery showroom and they have a three-year-old son. The body will be taken back home after the postmortem.