NEW DELHI: In most cases, a sudden death becomes a quiet entry in hospital records — another life gone too soon, remembered only by grieving loved ones. A 45-year-old woman who succumbed to a cerebral haemorrhage, could have been one such story.
Her family, however, chose a different path.
After she was declared brain-dead, her family took the extraordinary decision to donate her organs. In that moment of profound grief, they turned personal tragedy into a gift of life for others.
At Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital in the national capital, the gesture was acknowledged with deep respect. Doctors and staff honoured her not only as a patient, but as a donor whose final act would continue to make a difference.
Through this decision, six individuals received a new lease of life. The retrieval also marked a milestone for the institution, becoming its sixth successful multi-organ donation.
The process involved meticulous coordination across medical teams and institutions. Her kidneys, liver and heart were allocated to critically ill patients awaiting transplants. One kidney was transplanted at RML into a patient with end-stage renal disease. The liver was sent to the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) for a patient with advanced liver failure. Her heart was transported to the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow, where it brought renewed hope to a recipient in urgent need.
Doctors said the family’s decision did not come easily. Brain death, though medically definitive, can be difficult for families to accept, as the patient may still appear to be breathing with support.
“Understanding brain death itself takes time. Choosing organ donation at such a moment requires exceptional strength,” a senior doctor said.
With sustained counselling from the transplant coordination team, the family gradually came to terms with the situation. Their decision reflected a rare willingness to look beyond personal loss and help others in need.
Following consent, the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) coordinated the allocation to ensure that each organ reached the most suitable recipient without delay.
In the early hours of April 13, around 3:30 a.m., multiple teams worked simultaneously. While surgeons retrieved the organs, logistical arrangements were set in motion outside the operating theatre. An air ambulance was arranged to transport the heart to Lucknow, and a green corridor created by the Delhi Police ensured swift movement of the liver to the Army Hospital.
Once the procedures were completed, Raveena’s body was handed back to her family with full dignity. Hospital staff gathered to pay their respects, recognising both the life she had lived and the lives she had helped save.
The entire process was overseen by the transplant coordinator and nodal officer (transplant), under the supervision of the hospital’s Director, Dr Ashok Kumar, and Medical Superintendent, Dr Vivek Diwan.
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