‘Our Daughter Lives on Through Lives She Saved’: Parents Of 6-Yr-Old Organ Donor

6-Year-old Rolly died in April 2022. She, however, went on to give 5 critically ill children another shot at life.

World Organ donation day 2023: Rolly and her parents.

(Photo: FIT)

"Through the kids whose lives she saved, our Rolly lives on. That's the only consolation we have," says Harnarayan Prajapati, father of 6-year-old Rolly who became AIIMS Delhi's youngest organ donor last year after tragically losing her life to a bullet shot.

In contrast to their large-heartedness, Harnarayan, and his family live in a modest, partially constructed home in the interiors of Noida. Over a year since the incident that took place on 27 April 2022, FIT visited her family to know more about Rolly, and their decision to donate her organs.

"She was sleeping on this cot that night, and we were right here making dinner when we heard her scream. At first, we didn't understand what happened, and then we saw the gunshot near her ear." Harnarayan says they rushed Rolly to the hospital, but she had passed away before they could operate on her.

"For a parent to lose their child is very hard to come to terms with. She was my baby. She was so beautiful, and mature for her age," Rolly's mother, Poonam Devi says as she tears up.

Rolly is survived by four siblings. "We don't keep photos of her in the house or talk about her around them. They saw their little sister get shot. It's left them traumatised," says Poonam.

Rolly's elder sister Khushboo (14), says it's been hard on them. "I especially worry about my younger sister Reeti. She and Rolly were just a year apart, and they were very close. She cries herself sick if we talk about her." 

"Rolly loved to study. In fact, she herself dragged us to get her admitted to school," says Poonam. Her teachers say Rolly was a bright student, but she also had fun and was naughty like any child her age.

"We didn't know much about organ donation. The doctors at AIIMS asked us to consider since Rolly was brain-dead. We took a whole night to think about it. We knew our daughter wasn't coming back. This felt like the right thing to do then," says Harnarayan. He adds that he's never second guessed himself on this decision since then.

The family still struggles to find closure in the case of her death.

"We tried to file a police complaint, but the police turned it on us saying we killed our daughter. I'm a tailor and I have other kids to provide for. I am not able to keep fighting court cases," says Harnarayan.

Now they only pray for justice, Not fight for it. "We just wish what happened to us doesn't happen to anyone else," says Harnarayan. 

On 27 April 2022, six year old Rolly Prajapati was shot in her home in Noida. She was rushed to the hospital but couldn't be saved. She never regained consciousness. With counseling from the treating doctors, her parents made the decision to donate her organs.

This World Organ Donation Day, FIT visits her family to know more about the little girl who gave a chance at life to at least five critically ill children.