Ten-month-old Alin Sherin Abraham, Kerala’s youngest organ donor who died in a car accident, was laid to rest with state honours at Nedungadappally St Thomas CSI Church, Pathanamthitta, on Sunday evening.
Alin’s mortal remains were brought to the residence from the George Marthan Hospital mortuary in Mallappally on Sunday morning. The funeral ceremony, initially scheduled for 3 pm, was delayed as hundreds of people flocked to Alin’s house in Mallappally to pay their respects.
Health Minister Veena George and Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan, representing the state government, were part of the funeral ceremony. Union Minister Suresh Gopi also participated in the ceremony. The Union Minister also conveyed the Prime Minister’s condolences to the bereaved family.
Alin became the youngest organ donor in the state after her parents agreed to donate her liver, two kidneys, a heart valve, and two eyeballs. This gave new life to five people.
Alin, the daughter of Arun Abraham and Sherin Ann John, natives of Mallappally, Pathanamthitta, died in a road accident on February 5 while travelling by car from Kottayam to Thiruvalla. The seriously injured child was admitted to hospitals in Changanassery and Thiruvalla and later to Amrita Hospital in Kochi on February 7. It was decided to donate Alin’s organs after she was declared brain dead on Thursday.
Alin, whose tragic death moved the state, will now live on through five recipients. Alin’s liver was transplanted in a seven-hour surgery at KIMSHEALTH, Thiruvananthapuram, to a six-month-old baby suffering from severe liver failure. Her kidneys were transplanted at the Government Medical College Hospital to a 10-year-old child. Her heart valves have been preserved at Sree Chithra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, while her corneas have been preserved at Amrita Hospital, Kochi.
Commending Alin’s parents for their decision amid unimaginable grief, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the family had set an example for society. He also expressed gratitude to the health workers, police personnel and ambulance driver who coordinated the organ transfer.