It was a roller coaster of emotions for the relatives of deceased organ donors from all over Kerala who had gathered here for a function by Mrithasanjeevani, an initiative of the State government for brain-dead organ transplantation.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who inaugurated the function, was greeted with a rose from a ‘historic’ hand, that of Manu T.R. the recipient of the first ever double hand transplant in India. Mr. Manu was here with his donor Binoy’s mother Baby Oliparambil, a native of Varappuzha.
“Now I have the fortune of living as this mother’s son,” said an emotional Manu. He is working as transplant counselling assistant at a hospital in Ernakulam.
The eyes, heart and kidneys of Sunil Kumar from Aroor were donated when he was declared brain dead. His relatives have not heard from the recipients but they are happy that a few people could be brought back to life. They have a minor complaint, though.
“We haven’t yet got the FIR report of the accident which occurred on May 14, 2017, and so are unable to claim relief from government,” they said.
Giving life to four
Sreekumar and Shyamalamma, parents of Anil Kumar (who died in a motorbike accident in 2013), whose organs gave life to four people, said two recipients were in contact with them.
Manju Dharmishtan Mathew gave consent to donating her sister Mercy Abraham’s organs when she was declared brain dead after a fall in the bathroom at her house in Kottayam in 2014. “It is the most noble thing to do. I told them to take every viable organ,” she said.
A total of 736 organs from 267 donors have been transplanted till now with the help of Mrithasanjeevani.
