Kerala’s youngest organ donor Alin Sherin Abraham to be laid to rest on Sunday

Mallappally: The body of 10-month-old Alin Sherin Abraham, whose organs saved five lives, will be brought to St Thomas CSI Church, Nedungadappally, on Sunday. After prayers and funeral services at the church, the burial will take place.

Alin’s parents had earlier taken the decision to donate her organs after she was declared brain dead, giving a new lease of life to five patients across Kerala.

Alin was the only daughter of Arun Abraham of West Valumannil, Mallappally, and Sherin Ann John of East Pulinchimoottil, Mallappally. The toddler suffered fatal injuries in a road accident while sleeping in her grandmother’s lap in the back seat of a car. She died eight days later, just three months short of her first birthday.

Despite their profound grief, the parents consented to organ donation, saying they hoped a part of their child would live on through others.

Arun is associated with the CSI Synod and the Madhya Kerala Mahayidavaka Nirvahak Samiti (Diocese of Madhya Kerala). Sherin is a teacher at Chengaroor Mar Severios B.Ed Training College. Reji Samuel, former president of Mallappally Grama Panchayat and Alin’s grandfather, described the decision as painful yet meaningful, saying the family finds strength in knowing that five lives now carry her memory.

Two children receive life-saving transplants

In Thiruvananthapuram, two critically ill children underwent emergency transplant surgeries after receiving Alin’s organs.

A six-month-old baby girl with severe liver disease received the donated liver at KIMS Hospital. A 10-year-old girl with kidney failure underwent a transplant at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. Doctors transplanted both kidneys into the same child after determining that one kidney would not be sufficient, given her age and medical condition.

The organs were transported on Friday night through a coordinated green corridor. The ambulance reached KIMS Hospital at 10.30 pm, and surgeries began shortly after 10.45 pm. The organs were swiftly distributed to KIMS Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and Sree Chitra Institute.

The heart valve was donated to Sree Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram. The corneas were sent to the eye bank at Amrita Hospital in Kochi. The heart valve and corneal tissues can be preserved and will be transplanted to suitable recipients later.

Doctors said this is the first reported case in Kerala of a liver transplant from a brain-dead infant to another child. It is also the first instance in the state of both kidneys from a brain-dead child being transplanted together into a single paediatric patient.

Appeal to support Driya’s treatment

The six-month-old liver recipient, Driya, belongs to a financially underprivileged family struggling to meet the high cost of transplant surgery and post-operative care. Contributions can be made to the account at Federal Bank, Neyyattinkara branch, in the name of her parents, G Baijukumar and SS Vidya.

Account number: 14400100190129

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