Mumbai: Even amid the unbearable grief of losing her child, a KEM Hospital professor stayed true to her teachings and donated her 18-year-old son’s heart, liver, kidneys, and corneas on Saturday, following his three-year struggle to survive a road accident on Goregaon-Mulund Link Road.His organs have been given to seven people, marking Mumbai’s 47th cadaveric organ donation of this year.Dr Karuna Nadkarni, an occupational therapy professor, said her son, Soumil, suffered severe brain injuries after an autorickshaw collided with the two-wheeler he was riding pillion on. Soumil was a Class XI student at the time of the accident, with dreams of becoming an engineer. “The accident led to weakness and loss of movement on his right side,” she said.He was able to walk a little and was on treatment at Fortis Hospital in Mulund. “He was a fighter who smiled even after multiple surgeries,” Dr Nadkarni said.A cranioplasty plate, used to reconstruct a damaged section of the skull, was implanted during his initial recovery. However, earlier this year, he developed a brain infection, forcing doctors to remove the plate.For three months, Soumil was treated with antibiotics before undergoing a revision surgery last week. However, severe complications developed following the procedure, causing damage to his brainstem, leading to brain death. “There were pressure changes in the brain, which it could not handle during the procedure,” said Dr Nadkarni.She added that for most organ donor families, it is a solace knowing a part of their loved one is still alive. “He was such a precious child, I could not just let him go. His organs have gone to seven people.”This is the second instance this year of organ donation by an 18-year-old.Kollepara Chandrasekhar, father of K Meherkrishna, said his son, who was studying engineering in Pune, suffered sudden seizures. He passed away while on treatment at Fortis Hospital in Mulund just a month ago, and the family decided to donate his liver, small bowel, cornea, and skin. “We saw the pain of seeing a loved one struggle for life; we did not want to wish the same on anyone else. We would have donated all the organs, but he had H1N1.”
