S. Govindaraj, a 27-year-old engineer at KSK Mahanadi Power Company Limited, Hyderabad, complained of severe chest pain on the morning of 24th January 2011. He was rushed to Yashoda Hospital, Somajiguda, where he was admitted in the ICU. When a coronary angiogram was performed, it was observed that he was suffering from severe coronary artery disease. While he was on medication in the ICU, he became unresponsive on 25th January. Unfortunately, on 26th January 2011, he was declared "brain dead" by the doctors.
Govindaraj's father, an Auto driver from Chennai, said that his son had mentioned to him about his interest in donating eyes, and hence wanted to donate his eyes. Upon hearing this, Mr. Raghuram, Convenor, MOHAN Foundation rushed to the hospital and motivated Govindaraj's father, Mr. Sukumar, to donate his son's solid organs along with the eyes. While Mr. Sukumar was reluctant initially, Mr. Raghuram’s perseverance, along with motivation by the colleagues of Mr. Govindaraj, yielded positive results.
As Yashoda hospital is not a licensed hospital for deceased organ transplantation, Govindaraj's body was shifted with the help of portable ventilator to Global Hospitals, where his liver, kidneys, heart valves and eyes were retrieved. All the organs were shared among city-based transplant centres. This is the first organ donation for the year 2011 facilitated by MOHAN Foundation, Hyderabad.
With this donation, MOHAN Foundation, Hyderabad, has had 107 organ donors, who donated all the organs. Besides this there have been other donations for eyes and heart valves. A total of 198 kidneys, 75 livers, 9 hearts, 58 heart valves and 288 corneas and 1 pancreas have been retrieved and they have given a new lease of life to patients that were suffering with end stage organ failure.
Govindaraj's father, Mr. Sukumar, mentioned that he had read about the goodness of organ donation in dailies in Chennai and how Tamilnadu was at the forefront of organ donation. Although in deep grief, Mr. Sukumar said that he was happy in the knowledge that his son had given a new lease of life to eight patients.
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