Letting others see thru their child's eyes

Inconsolable grief did not prevent parents of Mohit Gowda, a six-year-old boy who was killed in a road accident, from donating the eyes of their deceased son, in a moving display of human concern.

It was a tough decision for 41-year old Pradeep Kumar, a City businessman and his wife Reena, 34, but they went ahead and took the call, so that someone else would able see through the eyes of their only child they lost on Wednesday morning.

Mohit was killed in a road accident around 5 am on Wednesday, when the vehicle in which the family was returning from Bangalore International Airport (BIA) after seeing off Kumar’s parents Ramu and Parvathi turned turtle.

The visibility in the area was low and also the cab driver Sunil Kumar, who had driven through the night, lost control of the vehicle, it is suspected.

When Deccan Herald contacted the family members, Kumar who was at Nagamangala for the cremation of his son said he was handing the phone to his friend Surendra, who said the family was donating the boy’s eyes.

Tough decision

“The boy’s father took the decision to donate his son’s eyes as he knew about eye donation. Mohit is Kumar and Reena’s only child,” Surendra said. He said the family was in shock and the grand parents who were heading for the US cancelled the trip and returned for the cremation.

Bright student

Mohit was an LKG student in a school located on Kanakapura Road. According to relatives, he was a bright student and was popular with his teachers and schoolmates.

“However, even under such circumstances, the parents thought of donating the eyes and called upon an eye bank,” Surendra said.

The doctors from the hospital were touched and appreciated the gesture which would help two blind people to see.

The family had hired an SUV from a travel agency to drop off Kumar’s parrents to the airport. The driver rammed the car into the side railings on the Meenugunte-Hosur flyover.
The police said the driver couldn’t control the car which skidded for for some distance along the steel railings, turning turtle.

While others in the car escaped with minor injuries, Mohit fell out through the window and came under the car.  

He was rushed to Columbia Asia hospital, but was declared brought dead. Kumar, his wife Reena, Kumar’s sister Uma (37) and cab driver Sunil Kumar (22) sustained minor injuries.