Brain-dead Gurugram woman's organs save four lives

A 60-year-old woman, who was declared brain dead after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage, gave new lease of life to at least four persons after her family members agreed to organ donation at Gurugram's Paras Hospital, an official said on Tuesday.

The woman was admitted to the hospital on July 7 and the doctors declared her brain dead on July 10. The same day her family members gave nod for organ donation, hoping she would still live through her organs.

Once the family officially consented to donate her organs - both her kidneys and eyes were allotted by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). One of her kidneys was given to a 42-year-old male patient at the same hospital, while the other one was donated to a 17-year-old female patient at Asian Hospital in Faridabad. The eyes were donated to two persons at private hospitals in Delhi.

P.N. Gupta, Director and HoD in the Department of Nephrology and Kidney Transplant, Paras Hospital, said: "She was admitted with intracranial hemorrhage and her general condition was critical. Despite the best efforts of the neurosurgical team, she was declared brain dead.

"Very few families realise the importance of organ donation. With her organs, four persons got new lease of life. Thousands of people die due to non-availability of organs, irrespective of age, gender, cast or religion. Anybody can be an organ donor."