Mohali’s braveheart kindles hope in four others with organ, tissue donation at PGIMER

Jyoti’s promising life was cut short on April 4, 2025, when the autorickshaw she was riding in was struck from behind by a motorcycle. The impact caused her to fall onto the road, leading to fatal head injuries. After being rushed through several hospitals, she was finally brought to PGI in a critical condition on April 6, where she succumbed to cardiac arrest on April 8.

Despite the heartbreaking circumstances, Jyoti’s family chose to honour her memory through organ donation. Although the traditional pathway for organ retrieval was not available due to her cardiac arrest, various medical teams led by doctors from various departments of the Institute moved forward with Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD). They successfully transplanted her kidneys into two patients suffering from terminal renal failure, ending their painful battles with dialysis, and her corneas provided sight to two others.

Underpinning the challenges in DCD, Prof Deepesh Kenwar, Department of Renal Transplant Surgery, PGI, said, “Every second counts when retrieving organs after cardiac death. This was the 19th such donation at PGI and has benefited 30 patients so far. PGI remains the only centre in the entire country where the pancreas has been used after such a kind of donation. While in most organ donations, doctors can maintain the circulation by use of medicines and ventilator support, but with cardiac arrest, it is no longer possible. Organs tend to deteriorate very fast after the heart stops and must be removed from the body within the next 60 minutes.”