Eight-month-old Dhyaansh is the youngest survivor of the June 12th Air India crash in Ahmedabad. His mother, Manisha Kachhadiya, shielded him with her body as fire engulfed the BJ Medical College residential complex when flight IC171 crashed into the building.
As both battled burn injuries, Manisha donated her skin for grafting onto Dhyaansh’s wounds. Both mother and son have now been discharged from the hospital.
Manisha Kachhadiya shielded her eight-month-old son, Dhyaansh, with her body from the flames as Air India’s IC 171 crashed into BJ Medical College’s residential quarters on June 12, killing 260 people.
Despite the searing heat and choking smoke, her only instinct was to protect her infant son, who turned out to be the youngest survivor of the crash.
Manisha not only shielded Dhyaansh that day but, as both fought for their lives, she gave her skin as another shield to help him heal. In a story that has touched many hearts, the mother and son were discharged from the hospital last week.
Dhyaansh is the son of Manisha and Kapil Kachhadiya, a super-speciality MCh student in urology at BJ Medical College. Kapil was on duty at the hospital when the plane crashed into the hostel.
Kapil told PTI that when the plane came down, Manisha suffered burns, but her only concern was saving their child.
“There was a blackout for a second, and then our residence was filled with heat,” Manisha told the media.
At that terrifying moment, she grabbed her son and ran. Thick smoke and flames made it almost impossible to see, and the heat left both with serious burns.
“There was a moment I thought we would not make it out. But I had to, for my child. We have both been through pain I cannot put into words,” Manisha added.
Manisha sustained burns to 25 pc of her face and hands. Dhyaansh suffered 36 pc burns across his face, arms, chest and abdomen.
Both were rushed to KD Hospital, where Dhyaansh was immediately admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit. He required ventilator support to breathe, fluid resuscitation, blood transfusions and highly specialised care.
Doctors said the child’s recovery was medically complex due to his age. One of the most crucial parts of his treatment was that when skin grafts were required, his mother offered her own. Manisha donated her skin to her son, becoming, quite literally, his shield again.
Dr Adit Desai, managing director of KD Hospital, described the case as deeply moving. “It was deeply touching because of the mother’s instinctive courage to save her child. From a medical standpoint, every department came together to ensure the best possible outcome,” Desai told the media.
He added that the hospital provided free treatment to six patients affected by the IC171 crash.
Plastic surgeon Dr Rutvij Parikh explained how the team approached the infant’s burns with extreme care.
“The child’s own skin and his mother’s skin grafts were used to treat the burn wounds. The patient’s age was a major factor. We had to make sure the wounds did not get infected and that his growth would be normal. The recovery of the child and mother has been satisfactory.”
Kapil, himself a medical professional, also played a crucial role in his son’s recovery. “Dr Kapil’s involvement as a father helped enormously. As a medical professional, he often made sure the dressings were done properly, even in the middle of the night,” Dr Parikh said.
The team of doctors who treated the mother and child included Dr Snehal Patel, Dr Tushar Patel and Dr Mansi Dandnaik, according to the report.
Dhyaansh’s condition was complicated by blood rushing into one side of his lungs due to trauma. “He was kept on ventilatory support, and an intercostal drainage tube was inserted until we achieved good lung expansion,” Dr Snehal Patel said.
After five weeks of intensive treatment and care, both Manisha and Dhyaansh have now been discharged from the hospital. This mother’s love defied both fire and fate to save her son’s life.
Follow us
