6-year-old face of organ donation dies

A six-year-old school student, who triggered a massive organ donation campaign which won praise from the Prime Minister himself, has passed away after giving new life to the ailing.

Bhavana Lakshmi, a student in Class 2 at St. Mary’s UP School, South Chittoor, was affected by brain tumour one and a half years ago.

After she was declared brain dead by the doctors at Aster Medcity here on Wednesday, her parents, Murthy and Prasanna, an auto driver-housewife couple, decided to donate her organs. The transplant surgery was done on Thursday and her liver gave new life to a 51-year-old man from Thrissur while her two kidneys were given to Lakeshore Hospital as per the priority list in Kerala network for organ sharing waitlist. “She inspired the students of the school to understand the dimensions of organ donation,” Shajimol K. Thomas, headmistress of the school, says.

“After she was inflicted with brain tumour, the school decided to support her treatment by collecting donations. The first surgery was held in December 2014 and a second surgery in July last. At the time of the first surgery, a school parliament was held... [where] the trigger for organ donation awareness was sparked off,” recalls Ms Thomas.

“Ever since, a series of campaigns were held and more than 200 people were roped in by students to give their consent for organ donation. Then a huge canvas depicting the map of India was created on which over 2,500 people put their signature in support of organ donation. A letter requesting measures and giving suggestions to promote organ donation along with this map was sent to the PM who congratulated our students in Mann Ki Baat in October,” she says.

As they pay rich tributes to Bhavana, the students of the school have resolved to continue the campaign.