Mumbai: Five-year-old boy dies waiting for a heart

Jayneel Vasaikar

A five-year-old boy in need of a heart and battling for life at a Mulund hospital died late on Tuesday afternoon. Jayneel Manglesh Vasaikar had beaten cancer but during the course of the treatment, his heart failed. In his memory, Jayneel's family has decided to spread awareness about organ donation and encourage people to pledge their organs in their hometown on his birthday, March 16.

mid-day had reported about Jayneel's condition in its February 10 edition. Diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and cured with chemotherapy, he was admitted to Fortis hospital two months ago after his heart condition became critical. Despite trying at many places, the family could not find a heart for the boy who was of the O+ positive blood group. For the past few days, his heart had been functioning at 5-10 per cent rate, when it needed to run at a minimum of 60-64 per cent rate.

Jayneel's father, Manglesh, a constable at Nandurbar city police station said, "I was hoping for a miracle to save my son. But on Tuesday, doctors told me that Jayneel was not responding to treatment. He had been on ventilator support for the past week. Doctors looked for a heart across the globe."

"We had hoped to celebrate his birthday on March 16. In his memory, we will organise an organ donation awareness campaign in Nandurbar district with the help of some people who approached us with the idea. It will help several children and people who need organs," Manglesh said.