3-year-old Angelos gave life with his death. After the torture he experienced at the hands of his mother and stepfather, the little boy breathed his last while his organs were donated for transplantation.
Vasilis Vougas, director of the transplant surgery clinic, spoke to STAR about the shocking moments that unfolded at PAGNI: "When I first saw his little body, I said, 'Oh my God, what are we going to do now? How can we remove vital transplants from such a small body?'"
"The great emotion that a man, a father, feels when he sees a body on the operating table for organ removal... It is a terribly moving and shocking moment, but also a moment when experience, duty, and science must speak. Because by removing the transplants, other people will be saved."
"It was really a very moving moment, a moment when you see a little hero. He was an angel on earth and now he is an angel in heaven," he said.
Doctors and nurses said goodbye to the 3-year-old. "It was a tense situation all night because we all experienced together, regardless of whether we worked in the Children's Unit or in the operating rooms, the anguish of society to keep the child alive, which unfortunately did not succeed," said Dimitris Vrysalis, president of the PAGNI workers.
For her part, the head of the National Transplant Organization, Giuli Menudoukou, said that "it was one of the most difficult cases we have handled. While following the case, we were avoiding donation because it would have meant Angelos' death."
The heart of 3-year-old Angelos will be transplanted to a three-year-old child in Berlin, Germany, and the kidneys to a 37-year-old at the Hippocratic Hospital of Thessaloniki.
The PAGNIS administration, in its announcement, referred to the child's history and the brave decision made by his grandmother to donate organs, while emphasizing that this decision is "an example to follow."
The detailed announcement from the PAGNIS administration:
On Sunday, January 26, 2025, a 3-year-old child with serious head injuries was admitted to the University General Hospital of Heraklion (PAGNI). Despite the efforts of the hospital staff and especially the Children's ICU, where he was hospitalized, the child died.
The child's grandmother, after being informed of the brain death, requested the donation of his organs and immediately the entire hospital, in collaboration with the Heraklion District Court Prosecutor's Office, rallied in this direction.
On Monday, February 3, the Hellenic Transplant Organization (HTO) was informed and the necessary procedures for the evaluation and receipt of the donated organs were quickly initiated.
At 3.00:4 a.m. on Tuesday, February XNUMX, the surgery began, with the arrival of a surgical team from Berlin, Germany, to receive the heart transplant and the corresponding one from the Kidney Transplant Unit, Evangelismos General Hospital. According to the information from the National Organization for the Study of Transplantation, the heart transplant is intended for a candidate recipient of a corresponding age, while the kidney transplants are for a candidate recipient registered in the National Registry of our country.
All procedures were carried out in full compliance with legal and medical standards to support organ donation and transplantation, in collaboration with the Hellenic National Organization for Organ Transplantation.
Finally, it is noted that in the complex process of Organ Donation, which requires the close and coordinated cooperation of our hospital staff, PAGNI remains committed to supporting both donors and potential recipients. We hope that this act of solidarity will serve as an example for all hospitals, health institutions and our fellow human beings.
The Hospital Administration expresses its sincere condolences to the child's family, with the hope that even in such tragic circumstances, the donation and the thought of saving other people, through little Angel, will ease their pain, even to the smallest extent.
The bow of the surgeons to the Angel
Before the process of removing little Angel's organs began, the doctors held a minute of silence in memory of the little boy who so unjustly lost his life.
"A minute of silence" from the surgical teams, as a small tribute to the little Angel, who gave life to our sick fellow human beings. Warm thanks to the Administration, the Children's ICU and all the staff of the Heraklion General Hospital, as well as the Heraklion District Prosecutor's Office, for the excellent cooperation. Immense respect to the little boy's grandmother for her decision to donate. We hope that this act of hers will ease her unspeakable pain," the Hellenic Transplant Organization said in a post.
Source: protothema
