Family Of Brain-Dead 18-Year-Old Donates Kidneys In Odisha

Cuttack: Family of an 18-year-old boy decided to donate his kidneys after he succumbed to a brain tumour while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Odisha’s Cuttack.

According to sources, Om Sibu, a Plus student of Kendrapada Autonomous College, was admitted to the state’s premier medical college and hospital on January 17 after he was diagnosed with brain tumour. The doctors, however, declared him brain dead on Thursday evening. “The doctors conducted a surgery, but the hope of his recovery was minimal. The brain stem death team declared him brain dead yesterday,” said Administrative Officer, SCBMCH, Dr. Abinash Rout.

Following his death, the doctors approached the grieving family for organ donation and they consented. Both the kidneys were successfully retrieved by a team of doctors at the SCB with the help of the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO).

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Of the two retrieved kidneys, one will be transplanted to a patient at SCBMCH and the second one will be sent to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. “The SOTTO team has allocated one kidney to SCBMCH and the other to Apollo Hospitals in Bhubaneswar. We are waiting for cross match report following which we will go for kidney transplant. The parents set an example for others. In the future, some others might get encouraged by this and come forward for organ donation,” said Urology department head Dr Samir Swain.

The family members, who were yet to come to terms with the loss, said that they happy that their son would continue to live in another two persons. “My son was good in studies. He wanted to study in an IIT. I have donated my son’s organs to help two people live,” said Om’s father Ramesh Das.

Rout said that the hospital authorities have contacted the state government for state honour to the donor. “We have written to the state’s Home department in this regard and Kendrapada Collector and SP as well. We will pay tribute to the donor here and facilitate transportation of the body to his native place,” he added.