Mon Mar 03 16:27:08 UTC 2025: ## Odisha 16-Month-Old Becomes Youngest Organ Donor, Saving Two Lives

**BHUBANESWAR, INDIA –** In a heartwarming yet heartbreaking story, a 16-month-old boy from Bhubaneswar, Odisha, has become the state’s youngest organ donor, giving the gift of life to two recipients. Janmesh Lenka, who tragically passed away on March 1st after inhaling a foreign object, was declared brain dead following unsuccessful attempts to revive him at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Despite their profound grief, Janmesh’s parents made the courageous decision to donate his organs. His liver was successfully transported to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in New Delhi, where it was transplanted into a child suffering from end-stage liver failure. Remarkably, his kidneys were successfully transplanted en-bloc – a complex procedure where both kidneys are transplanted together into a single recipient – into an adolescent patient at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. This marks only the second en-bloc kidney transplant in Odisha.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar hailed the successful multi-organ transplant as a landmark achievement. Executive Director Dr. Ashutosh Biswas praised the medical team and extended deep gratitude to Janmesh’s parents for their selfless act of generosity during their immense sorrow. Janmesh’s mother poignantly stated, “I will not get my son back. But some others’ mothers will become happy after my son’s organs are transplanted on their children.”

The hospital observed a guard of honor for Janmesh before his cremation, in accordance with Odisha government policy. Janmesh’s father works as a hostel warden at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The Lenka family’s profound act serves as a powerful testament to the life-saving potential of organ donation and is expected to raise awareness about paediatric organ donation across India.

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