A minor studying in Class 12 donated a part of her liver to save her father’s life in Thrissur, Kerala.
The 48-year-old father identified as Pratheesh was diagnosed with chronic liver disease. His daughter named Devananda became an organ donor for him and took to the Kerala High Court seeking an exemption in the case to turn an organ donor for she being a minor.
According to the Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994, the provisions do not permit donation of organs from minors. Devananda decided to donate her organ after her father could not find any other suitable donor.
“I am happy I could save dad’s life,” she told in a conversation with media outlet NDTV. She added, “Without a liver donor if a person dies, a family is devastated. We need more awareness and encouragement.” It has been noted that the girl took the medical process weeks before her board exams.
Devananda, the teenage organ donor is reportedly the youngest organ donor alive in India. The Rajagiri Hospital in Aluva, where the surgery took place, waived the expenses, claim reports.
However, in 2022, India witnessed a case of a 6-year-old brain-dead girl saving five lives with her organs being donated. Parents of the young child named Roli Prajapati, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Noida, donated their daughter’s organs which managed to save as many as five lives making her the youngest organ donor in the history of AIIMS, New Delhi.
