16-month-old boy becomes Odisha’s youngest organ donor, saves two lives

Bhubaneswar: A 16-month-old boy from the city became Odisha's youngest organ donor, giving new life to two patients, an AIIMS-Bhubaneswar official said on Monday.

The parents of Janmesh Lenka made the courageous decision that turned their personal tragedy into a beacon of hope for others.

Janmesh was admitted to the paediatric department of AIIMS Bhubaneswar on February 12 after inhaling a foreign object, causing a blockage in his airway and leading to difficulty in breathing. Despite receiving immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the relentless efforts of the intensive care team to stabilise him over the following two weeks, the child was declared brain dead on March 1, the official said.

Recognising the possibility of giving the gift of life to others, the medical team at AIIMS counselled the grieving parents about organ donation. They consented, allowing their child's organs to be used for life-saving transplants, he added.

Following the consent, a multidisciplinary team of surgeons and transplant coordinators swiftly facilitated the retrieval and transplantation process.

The liver was successfully retrieved by the gastro-surgery team led by Dr. Brahmadutt Patnaik and was transported to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in New Delhi, where it was transplanted into a child suffering from end-stage liver failure, the official said.

The kidneys were retrieved and transplanted en-bloc into a single adolescent patient at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. This complex surgical procedure was successfully performed under the leadership of Dr. Prasant Nayak from the urology department, he said.

This was only the second instance of en-bloc kidney transplantation in the state, a highly specialised surgical approach where both kidneys from a paediatric donor are transplanted together into a single recipient.

"In yet another landmark achievement, AIIMS Bhubaneswar facilitated multiorgan transplantation from Janmesh, who became Odisha’s youngest organ donor," the institute said in a statement.

The executive director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Dr. Ashutosh Biswas, commended the transplant coordination team and the medical professionals involved, highlighting their relentless efforts in ensuring the successful execution of the organ retrieval and transplantation process.

He also extended his heartfelt gratitude to the parents for their extraordinary generosity, acknowledging their selfless decision in a moment of profound grief.

"The story of Master Janmesh Lenka and his parents' decision serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of organ donation, especially in paediatric cases. Their noble act has not only saved lives but has also set a precedent for promoting awareness about paediatric organ donation in India," Biswas said.

Janmesh's father works as a hostel warden at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

"I will not get my son back. But some others' mothers will become happy after my son’s organs are transplanted on their children," Janmesh's mother said.

According to Odisha’s government policy, Janmesh's mortal remains was cremated after giving him a guard of honour here on Monday.