In a tragic turn of circumstances, a pregnant woman who was six months into her pregnancy, was declared brain-dead after a road traffic accident near here.
In a moving gesture, her family, who had lost both her and the foetus, overcame their immense sorrow to donate her organs.
The donor, Girija Rajendran, of Ondiputhur, near Coimbatore, was only 23 and has a four year old son.
She was pregnant with her second child. Girija was travelling on a two-wheeler when the accident took place.
“We could not perform certain tests to confirm brain death because the foetus was still in the womb. We even considered keeping the mother on support for about four-five weeks and then taking the baby out, to see if it will survive. However, that process is also fraught with problems, Vijayanand Palanisamy, ICU consultant, adult and paediatric, GKNM Hospital, Coimbatore said.
“This is the first time that we have had such a donor since our State cadaver programme started,” says J. Amalorpavanathan, member secretary, Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu.
This will help at least four or five families, says doctor
