Ghatkopar family donates 99-year-old grandpa's skin after his death

A family from Ghatkopar donated 99-year-old Somalal Vyas's skin after he died due to renal failure at a city hospital on Tuesday.

The deceased had just celebrated his birthday a couple of months back and took ill all of sudden and was admitted to Godrej Hospital in Vikhroli.

His grandson, Ketan, told Times of India, that the family had on its own sought to make a donation. "We wanted to donate his organs but we were explained that only brain-dead patients could donate solid organs. His corneas too couldn't be donated because of his age. So we decided to donate his skin," he said."My grandfather always donated for noble causes and it is only just that we donated his skin," said Ketan, a businessman from Ghatkopar.

"The family was very keen on donation, and we managed to harvest his skin," Abhijit Sinkar, from Godrej Hospital in Vikhroli told the news daily.

Skin donations help burn victims and have increased in recent time. Civic-run Sion Hospital, which has a skin donation bank, gets about 15 donations every year.