In death, Kannur youth gives a new lease of life to four

Kannur/Kochi: Parents of a 23-year-old man from Kannur who succumbed to injuries sustained in a road accident donated his organs, giving a new lease of life to four other people.

Arjun M K, a forensics student from Chengalayi panchayat in Kannur, died on Friday after a pick-up truck collided with his bike while he was returning home.

The youth suffered severe injuries and was admitted to Aster MIMS hospital, Kannur. Though a team of doctors tried their best to save his life, he was declared brain dead later in the day.

Amid their grief, Arjun’s parents — Ganeshan MK and Thankamani — decided to donate their son’s organs. After getting consent of parents, Arjun’s heart, kidneys, liver were retrieved and donated to four other persons.

On Monday, his heart was flown to Aster Medicity in Kochi by an air ambulance and transplanted on a 48-year-old patient from Malappuram. One of his kidneys was donated to a patient at Aster MIMS, Kannur, while the second one was donated to a patient at the Kozhikode govt medical college hospital. The liver was donated to a patient at the Baby Memorial hospital, Kozhikode. A green corridor was also arranged to ensure smooth movement of the organs.

The organ donation was carried out through the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO), the state govt’s organ donation agency.

Arjun is survived by his parents and his sister Arya. His father is a driver while mother is a housewife.

Dr Sooraj K M, medical director of Aster Hospitals, said the swift transportation of the organs to various centres was made possible through the coordinated efforts of multiple agencies. Advanced logistical arrangements, including an air ambulance and green corridor facilities, ensured that the organs reached their destinations in the shortest possible time.