A grieving father has set an example by donating the organs of his 16-month-old son, who was declared brain-dead at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

The child, admitted to the hospital for nearly 18 days, was pronounced dead on Saturday. His liver and kidneys were retrieved and transplanted into patients on Sunday.

The deceased’s liver was transported to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in Delhi, where it was transplanted into a child. His kidneys were transplanted en bloc into an adolescent patient at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Father Ashok Kumar Lenka, a hostel warden at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, told The Telegraph: “On February 12, after taking a bath, my son Janmesh—whom we nicknamed after Lord Jagannath—performed puja with his mother. Suddenly, he started crying and almost fainted. We rushed him to the hospital.”

“He had no health issues at birth and was fit until that day. His condition deteriorated,” Ashok added.

The grieving father said: “My wife and I decided to donate his organs so that others could benefit. Let others smile and bless my child.”

Ashok and his wife, Pratibha Nayak, also have a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Aparna.

Ashok said: “We cremated Janmesh on Sunday. After completing the rituals, we will visit Puri to pay our respects to Lord Jagannath.”

The inconsolable mother, Pratibha, said: “It was a painful decision. I will go to Puri and ask God why we were given this punishment.”

The couple hails from Rourkela.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar, in a release, said: “Janmesh, who was admitted to the paediatric department of AIIMS Bhubaneswar on February 12 under the care of Dr Krishna Mohan Gulla, suffered from foreign body aspiration and choking. Despite receiving immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the relentless efforts of the intensive care team to stabilise him over the following two weeks, the child was declared brain dead on March 1.”

“The liver was retrieved by the gastro-surgery team led by Dr Brahmadutt Patnaik and was transported to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in New Delhi, where it was transplanted into a child suffering from end-stage liver failure.”

Janmesh’s kidneys were retrieved and transplanted en-bloc into a adolescent patient at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. This complex procedure was carried out under the leadership of Dr Prasant Nayak from the urology department.

“This case is significant as Janmesh became the youngest organ donor in Odisha. This was only the second instance of en-bloc kidney transplantation in the state, a highly specialised surgical approach where both kidneys from a pediatric donor are transplanted together into a single recipient,” the release noted.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar executive director Prof Dr Ashutosh Biswas said: “This noble act has not only saved lives but also set a precedent for raising awareness about paediatric organ donation in India. The case highlights the importance of public awareness, timely consent, and medical coordination in ensuring that organs from brain-dead patients can give new life to those in need.”