(Shankar Raj)
Ten-month-old Aalin Sherin Abraham has become Kerala’s youngest organ donor, turning an unimaginable personal tragedy into a gift of life for others. In her passing, she gave hope to four patients on Friday through the donation of her organs.
Aalin had been under treatment at Amrita Hospital in Kochi after a road accident on February 5. She was declared brain dead on Friday afternoon. Despite their overwhelming grief, her parents, Arun Abraham and Sherin Ann John of Mallappally in Pathanamthitta district, chose to donate her kidneys, liver, eyes, and heart valves so that her death would not be in vain.
With police assistance ensuring a smooth green corridor, the organs were transported from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram. The ambulance left around 7 pm and covered the distance of over 220 kilometres in just three hours and 20 minutes.
At the time of the accident, Aalin was travelling from Kottayam to Tiruvalla with her mother and grandparents. She lost consciousness immediately, while the others sustained serious injuries. She was first taken to hospitals in Changanacherry and Tiruvalla, but as her condition failed to improve, she was shifted to Amrita Hospital on February 6.
Hospital authorities said treatment began immediately upon her arrival, but all efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. Brain death was confirmed on Friday.
The organ donation process was coordinated by the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO). According to Dr Noble Gracious, executive director of K-SOTTO, Aalin’s heart valves were allocated to Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, while her liver was sent to KIMS Health. One kidney was transplanted into a 10-year-old child at Government Medical College Hospital Thiruvananthapuram, and the other benefited a six-month-old baby at KIMS Health. Her eyes were donated to an eye bank to restore sight to others.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George expressed deep sorrow over Aalin’s death and thanked her parents for their extraordinary decision to save other lives, sharing in the family’s grief.
Dr Noble described the case as particularly challenging, as paediatric organ donation involves complex medical procedures, careful recipient matching, and higher medication requirements. Above all, he emphasised, it depends on the courage and consent of the parents.
Following inquest proceedings and a guard of honour, Aalin’s body was handed over to her relatives. The ambulance first reached KIMS Hospital around 10.30 pm to hand over the liver, then proceeded to the Medical College Hospital for the kidneys, and finally to Sree Chitra Hospital, where the heart valves were delivered — completing a solemn journey that transformed loss into life.
(Author is a Senior Journalist based in Bengaluru)