Bhubaneswar, March 3: In an extraordinary act of generosity and love, a one-year-old boy from Bhubaneswar has become a symbol of hope and life by donating his organs after being declared brain dead.
16-month-old Janmesh Lenka suffered a brain stroke caused by uncontrollable crying and was rushed to the hospital. Despite doctors' best efforts, he was declared brain dead. His family was heartbroken by the loss, but amidst their grief, they made the difficult decision to donate his organs, hoping to give others a chance at life.
“We were devastated by the loss of our child, but we knew we had to do something to keep his spirit alive,” said Janmesh’s father, an employee at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bhubaneswar.
The emotional final rites were conducted at Jagamara, Bhubaneswar, where the state government honored Janmesh with a Guard of Honour.
Janmesh’s liver was successfully transplanted into a child in Delhi, and his kidney was donated to another child in Bhubaneswar. Through this selfless gesture, Janmesh has not only saved two lives but has also inspired many others to consider the profound impact of organ donation.
This case is historically significant as Janmesh became the youngest organ donor in the state of Odisha. Additionally, this was only the second instance of en-bloc kidney transplantation in the state, a highly specialized surgical approach where both kidneys from a pediatric donor are transplanted together into a single recipient.
The Executive Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Prof. 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.
