Youngest Asian Child Organ Donor Saves 4 Lives in Miracle Donation

In a remarkable feat at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital’s IKDRC-ITS (Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Center – Institute of Transplantation Sciences), doctors successfully performed kidney transplants in four children with kidneys from the same donor. What makes this achievement significant is that these children are the youngest kidney recipients in the country, with one child being just 116 days old and the other 100 days old. Doctors claim that these two children are the youngest kidney recipients in all of Asia. These two infants received brain-dead donors’ organs within just 15 days.

With the kidney transplants from these two young donors, four children will receive new lives and four others will regain their sight. About a month ago, in Chandigarh, a 14-day-old child became India’s youngest kidney donor ever. Kidney procurement for these four children was conducted under a government program, ensuring free transplants. The liver transplant for the seven-month-old in Delhi was done for free as well. The families of the donors, one from the Sanghani family and the other from the Thakor family, have inspired society with their selfless acts of organ donation.

Dr. Atul Sheth, a pediatric nephrologist in Surat, mentioned that the baby came to their hospital for care shortly after birth. He was unable to cry or move his limbs. He needed immediate care in a neonatal ICU. However, there was no improvement in the child’s condition even after four days. When another baby born on October 23 experienced similar symptoms and was diagnosed with a rare condition, it alerted the families. In this situation, the state’s deceased organ donation program played a crucial role in raising awareness among the families about organ donation. After counseling from Dr. Nilesh Kachhadia of Surat and Vipul Talaviya from the Life Organ Donation Foundation, the families promptly decided to donate their children’s organs.

This marks the first time a small child has been a kidney donor. The kidney transplant team from IKDRC-ITS in Ahmedabad traveled to Surat to collect the kidneys of both children. The first two babies are now functioning normally with the donated kidneys. The surgery for the other two babies was completed within five days. Both babies have recovered from dialysis.

Free Transplant Under Government Scheme

Age	caste	Dialysis	father’s business	city
15 years	woman	1.5 years	Labor	Surat
13 years	male	3 years	Rickshaw driver	Ahmedabad
13 years	male	1.5 years	single mother	Ahmedabad
13 years	male	6 months	Labor	Ahmedabad

Dr. Pranjul Modi, a kidney and liver transplant surgeon at IKDRC-ITS, noted that kidney adjustment in older children typically takes around six weeks. In contrast, the newborn kidneys will adjust in around 20 days. Recovery is expected within 20 days, which is a remarkable achievement.

Dr. Kinnari Vaja, a pediatric nephrologist at IKDRC-ITS, emphasized that all four children faced kidney problems from birth, and the youngest child needed kidney adjustment, which could take up to six weeks.

This incredible success highlights the importance of organ donation in saving lives and inspires the entire community to follow suit.