Bangalore: It was an emotional decision for 21-year-old Praveen’s parents. Praveen was declared brain dead on Monday morning due to severe head injuries after being struck down by an oncoming lorry. The 51-year-old father, even though immensely grief-stricken, overcame emotional barriers and decided to donate his son’s organs.
“Nothing can get our son back no matter what we do and nothing can replace what we have lost. But when he was hospitalized I knew that we had to do something through which he could stay with us,” says Praveen’s father. Both his parents decided that organ donation was the best way to keep him alive even after he was gone.
21-year-old Praveen, who was an engineering student of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, was going to college on September 10th morning when he was struck down by a lorry and sustained severe head injuries. He was shifted to M S Ramaiah Memorial Hospital where he passed away. “Praveen’s parents were grief- stricken and took the bold decision after a couple of counselling sessions. On Monday evening we began harvesting the organs at around 1 am on Tuesday and successfully completed the harvesting by 5.30 am,” informs Dr Vinod Appaiah, hospital administrator, MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital.
The family agreed to donate three organs; kidney, liver and eyes. “We would like to meet him in a different life in a different world, but more importantly we feel content that he left as a giver of life, not a taker in this lifetime and this thought gives us immense happiness,” says the sorrowing father. In spite of the intense grief at the tragic loss of their only son, the parents came forward to donate his organs to help others. The hospital authorities’ Zonal Co-ordination committee of Karnataka for Transplantation (ZCCK), initiated the process of organ donation after detailed discussion with the family.
“The deceased youngster’s organs were harvested in the early hours of Tuesday and subsequently transplanted to 3 different individuals. The parts retrieved were two kidneys, liver, eyes and heart valves. The retrieved heart valves were sent to Narayana Health, the liver was sent to HCG, the eyes and one kidney was kept in MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital and the second kidney was sent to the general pool of the ZCCK,” informs Dr Vinod. “A tiny part of him is still here in the world and maybe he had come here to educate people to overcome social and emotional stigmas and come forward to donate organs. This is my son’s message to society,” signs off the emotional father.
