The generosity of the family of a brain-dead Tamil Nadu man will offer a new lease of life to five people who received his organs on Sunday. The relatives of C Sivakumar, 54, a resident of Veena Thoppu in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu, consented to donate his two kidneys, liver and two corneas after he was declared brain dead on Saturday.

Health Minister K Muraleedharan expressed his gratitude to the family for agreeing to donate the organs despite their grief. The Minister also conveyed his solidarity with the bereaved family.

One kidney was transplanted into a patient undergoing treatment at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College, while the other kidney and the liver were transplanted into patients at KIMS Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. The two corneas were donated to patients receiving treatment at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology in Thiruvananthapuram.

Sivakumar, who worked as a cable jointer, had arrived in Kollam for work. After experiencing physical discomfort on August 4, he was initially admitted to a private hospital in Kollam. He was subsequently shifted to KIMS Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, on August 5 after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

However, he was declared brain dead at 8.37 pm on August 8. Following this, his family expressed their willingness to donate his organs. The donation procedures were coordinated under the leadership of the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO).

Sivakumar is survived by his wife, S Vanitha; sons S Vijayakumar and S Arunkumar; and daughter-in-law A Keerthika.