BENGALURU: Puneeth had pledged his eyes long ago to Dr Rajkumar Eye Bank, which was launched by his father along with Narayana Netralaya. On Friday, his family members didn’t forget his promise.
“Amidst the grief, Puneeth’s brother Raghavendra Rajkumar called me and said that the family wants to donate his corneas. He was declared dead at 2.30pm and the harvest was done at 2.45pm. His corneas were intact. They will be used for needy patients at the earliest,” said Dr Bhujang Shetty, chairperson of Narayana Netralaya and head of Dr Rajkumar Eye Bank.
The eye bank was started in 1994. Shetty recalled that when he spoke to Rajkumar about the possibilities of eye donation, the latter had asked him how he could contribute.
“I told him that all that I needed was his name for the eye bank. He readily agreed and all his family members pledged their eyes. Pledging is one thing, but recalling the pledge during the sad demise of a family member amidst grief is a great move. This is the third pair of eyes harvested from the Rajkumar family,” said Shetty. Raj Kumar and his wife Paravathamma’s eyes were donated after their death.
