Kerala priest donates kidney to save pilot

A priest has offered a kidney to save the life of a young pilot who had lost all hopes of getting a donor to stay alive.

Philip Joy, a pilot with Jet Airways, and his donor Father Jacob Kozhuvally are said to be in a fine condition following the transplantation on Monday performed by nephrologist Babu Francis.

Philip suffered from a kidney trouble and stopped flying some time ago. Though his condition was said to be stable initially, the creatinine level in his blood shot up two months ago, necessitating dialysis.

When his condition worsened further, Dr Babu informed his parents that their son can be saved only by a kidney transplant.

Philip’s father Joy and mother Pushpa, who live in Kochi, were getting nowhere in finding a donor for their son, when they received an offer from Father Jacob Kozhuvally, vicar at the St Joseph Church, Vazhakkala in the city, to donate his kidney.