Chandigarh: Two-year-old Kenyan boy becomes India’s youngest pancreatic donor

A two-year-old boy from Kenya, Lunda Kayumba, lovingly called Prosper, has become India’s youngest pancreatic donor at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical and Educational Research (PGIMER). His organs have given new hope to two terminally ill kidney patients at the hospital, with one receiving a simultaneous pancreas and kidney (SPK) transplant while the other a kidney transplant.

Prosper was brought to PGIMER in a critical condition after a severe injury from a fall at home on October 17. Despite medical team’s efforts, he was declared brain dead on October 26. His family, choosing to turn their grief into hope, decided to donate his organs, making him as the youngest pancreatic donor in the country.

Prosper’s mother Jackline Diary said, “Our hearts are broken, but we find comfort knowing that Prosper’s organs will help others in pain. This is our way of keeping his spirit alive and bringing hope to those suffering.”

With his family’s consent and clearance from the Kenya High Commission, the hospital’s medical team conducted the transplants. Additionally, Prosper’s corneas were also donated to restore the sight of two visually impaired individuals, thus, impacting four lives in total.

Dr Ashish Sharma, head of department of renal transplant surgery, noted the difficulty of the procedure, saying, “Transplants from such young donors are challenging due to the small size of the organs, and performing a combined pancreas transplant adds to the complexity.”