Sushma S Menon, 52, a teacher has given a new lease of life to five people by donating her organs after she was declared brain-dead recently at the Manipal Hospital.
She had suffered a cerebral haemorrhage after she developed multiple aneurysms (blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel) which had ruptured in the brain. Despite a surgery to save her, she suffered a stroke and was declared brain-dead on Sunday.
Her family was completely aware about organ donation and with the intervention of the zonal coordination committee for transplantation in Karnataka (ZCCK), her eyes, kidneys and liver were donated to five recipients in different hospitals of the City.
Her husband, P Sukumaran Menon says that his wife has given the best gift to humanity by donating her organs.
‘Aware of her wish’
“I am a regular blood donor and knew about eye donation. I also knew about organ donation, but did not know that only a brain-dead person can donate organs. My wife had expressed her desire to donate her eyes and organs. According to her will, we gave our consent for organ retrieval,” he said.
Sukumaran said they had also given consent for the retrieval of pancreas, heart and lungs, but there were no recipients available at the time of organ transplantation.
Sushma took ill after she returned from a family vacation in Kerala.
She was suffering from low blood pressure, but had no other health complications. According to Dr Swaroop Gopal, neurosurgeon at Manipal Hospital, brain haemorrhage can happen to anyone without prior notice.
Genetic
“Developing aneurysms in the brain can be genetic. However, cerebral haemorrhage can happen also due to uncontrolled high blood pressure,” he said. A Hindi teacher for 30 years, Sushma had taught students in Bishop Cotton Girls High School and Bethany High School.
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