The life of Yash Pandey, all of 20 years, came to an abrupt end as he was declared brain dead at PGIMER on Friday following a fatal head injury. But amid their immense grief, the brave heart family finds some small consolation in knowing that the death of their dear one resulted in the precious ‘gift of life’ and ‘gift of sight’ for four others with their consent for organ donation.
Paying rich tribute to the donor family of Saviour Yash Pandey, Surjit Singh, Director PGIMER stated, " We were all inspired by the donor family's act of courage and generosity to put their own grief aside and make a difference to the lives of others. These gestures lift our spirits and show that nothing can stand in the way of humane acts if your intentions are strong."
Yash Pandey from Prem Nagar, Lohara, Ludhiana, was knocked down by a speeding vehicle, leaving him with grievous head injuries on March 1. Immediately, the injured was rushed to PGIMER but all the efforts of the attending medical team and fervent prayers of the family could not put off the dark tragedy as his struggle between life and death came to a halt. He could not be revived and subsequently was declared brain dead on March 3 in PGIMER.
After the declaration by the brain death certification committee, the transplant coordinators at PGIMER approached Yash Pandey’s father to request if he could consider organ donation. Expressing his sentiments, the distressed father Manoj Kumar Pandey said, "We were told by the doctors that there is no possibility of our son returning to life once he was declared brain dead. We were then convinced that if his organs could be transplanted on other persons he will continue to live among others. And that is our biggest consolation."
Vipin Koushal, Medical Superintendent PGIMER & Nodal Officer, ROTTO (North), shared, “Following the father’s consent, the heart, one kidney, pancreas and corneas were harvested from the deceased. Once the donor organs became available, everyone swiftly got into action. As the cross-matching indicated no matching recipient for heart in PGIMER, we immediately got in touch with other transplant hospitals to explore options for matching recipients, and finally, the heart was allocated for a matching recipient with refractory heart failure admitted in Sir H N Reliance Hospital, Mumbai with the intervention of NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation)."
Koushal said,“ To ensure safe and speedy transport of the harvested heart, a Green Corridor was created in conjunction with the retrieval timings from PGIMER to Technical Airport Chandigarh for the transportation of retrieved heart for the onward flight to Mumbai at around 12.25 pm on 4th March.”
The deceased’s pancreas and kidney was used for terminally ill renal failure patients, giving him a second chance to life and the corneas were used for another two patients, restoring their sight here in PGIMER. Koushal said, "The country really needs to improve the rate of organ donation. Synergised efforts and engagement of the civil society, religious leaders and other stakeholders are required for creating more public awareness about the cause, which will help saving precious lives."