Heartbreaking Loss, Lifesaving Gift: 3-Year-Old Pune Boy Donates Organs, Helps Four
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 13th June 2026: In a landmark achievement for organ donation in the region, Ruby Hall Clinic facilitated Pune Zone’s first organ donation from a three-year-old child, helping save the lives of two children and restore sight to two others.
Arush Shinde, aged three, a resident of Tadiwala Road, was admitted to Ruby Hall Clinic on 2nd June in critical condition after accidentally falling from a second-floor balcony.
Under the care of primary consultant Dr. Sanjay Vhora, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) team made every possible effort to save his life. However, despite intensive treatment, Arush was declared brain dead on 12th June by Dr. Devidas Bhalerao, the competent authority for brain death certification.
Following sensitive grief counselling by the hospital team, Arush’s family consented to donate his organs. Transplant Coordinator Lochana Jadhav played a key role in supporting and guiding the family through the decision-making process during an extremely difficult time.
Through the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC), Pune, Arush’s kidneys and liver were allocated to two pediatric recipients at Ruby Hall Clinic and Manipal Hospital, Baner. Both corneas were also donated and will help restore vision to two corneal-blind patients. Hospital authorities confirmed that all transplant procedures were successfully carried out.
Medical Director Lt Col Dr. Vivek Lal and CEO Dr. Mudit Saxena congratulated the PICU team, transplant specialists, surgeons and nursing staff for their clinical excellence and compassionate care throughout the process.
“This is a historic moment for the Pune Zone. A donor as young as three years old is extremely rare. The courage and generosity shown by Arush’s parents have given a new lease of life to two children and the gift of sight to two others,” said Dr. Lal.
The hospital described the donation as a powerful reminder of how one family’s selfless decision can transform multiple lives even in the face of personal tragedy.
