Monday, December 26, 2011

Organ donation to immortalise brain-dead college student

Swarna suffered brain injury after fall from college terrace
Swarna Jaswant, 22, will continue to live even after her death. This second year student of Vogue Institute of Technology, Doddaballapur, was declared brain-dead on December 23 at Columbia Asia Hospital, after a fall from the college terrace.

Swarna’s parents have decided to donate her organs after doctors at the hospital found that she failed to respond to brain stem reflexes.

Swarna had a fatal fall on December 14, while walking on the college terrace. She slipped and fell on the glass roof, landing on her head. The girl suffered a brain stem injury and a deep cut on her left thigh. Doctors at the hospital said since Swarna had landed on her head, her chances of recovery were very minimal.

“Following her brain scan, we found that there was severe bleeding in her brain stem, which had a direct link to her heart and lungs and she was put on a ventilator.

On December 22, she did not respond to light reflexes, which is one of the conditions to declare her brain-dead,” said Dr R Chinnadurai, intensivist at the hospital.

The doctor said they counselled Swarna’s parents, who readily agreed for organ donation.

Her mother said she was happy that her daughter would live through someone else. Swarna’s two corneas, two kidneys, liver and heart valves will be transplanted to six recipients.
Following Swarna’s comatose state after the fall, her classmates and parents had staged a protest in the college, but the college authorities did not respond.

“I owe her a doughnut,” is what Meghana Reddy had to say about her best friend.

“Swarna was fond of sugar doughnuts and she had asked me to bring them from my mother’s bakery. This was the last conversation I had with her. She wanted to be a designer and travel the world, she never ever fought with anyone,”said a tearful Meghana.
Swarna’s classmates have stopped attending classes ever since the incident and are helping her parents raise funds for her treatment.

Anand Reddy, the parent of one of the students, said the college authorities were least bothered about the incident.

“The chairman is absconding and we even tried to file an FIR in the police station. If Swarna’s family wants to pursue the case, we will be with them,” he said.

Swarna is survived by her father Jaswant, mother Hemalatha and elder brother Swaroop, who are natives of Mangalore.

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