The Government of Kerala has announced full state honours for the funeral of 10-month-old Alin Sherin Abraham, the youngest organ donor in the state’s history, on Sunday.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan shared the development, expressing deep grief over the infant’s death following a road accident in Pathanamthitta. He praised the decision of Alin’s parents, Arun Abraham and Sherin Ann John, to donate their child’s organs despite their immense loss, noting that the gesture had given a new lease of life to five people.
Through the donation of her liver, two kidneys, heart valves, and two corneas, Alin became Kerala’s youngest organ donor, setting a powerful example for society. The organs were transported by road from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram after civil aviation rules prevented a night-time helicopter transfer.
The Chief Minister lauded the police and the public for creating a seamless “green corridor” that ensured the organs reached their destinations in record time. He also commended healthcare professionals, ambulance drivers, and the coordination between public and private hospitals that enabled the complex surgeries. Special arrangements were made at Kottayam Medical College to conduct the post-mortem at night so the body could be returned promptly to the family.
In a message on social media, Vijayan said the infant’s passing had saddened the entire state and described the parents’ decision as a monumental act of compassion. He extended condolences to the family and saluted the medical teams, police, and support staff involved in the transplants.
Medical authorities confirmed that the procedures had already begun changing lives. Alin’s kidneys were transplanted into 10-year-old Shreya, while her liver was given to a six-month-old girl, now the youngest liver transplant recipient in the state.
According to officials of the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, the surgeries carried out at the medical college and KIMS Hospital were successful, and both children are in stable condition. The corneas have been entrusted to the Amrita Hospital Eye Bank, while the heart valves were handed over to the Sree Chitra Institute.
Members of the public will be able to pay their last respects at the child’s home until 2 pm on Sunday. The funeral is scheduled to take place at St. Thomas Church at Nedungadappally at 3.30 pm.
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