After observing a minute of silence, doctors at a hospital in Heraklio, Crete completed the organ retrieval procedure for the Greek boy who was declared brain dead, after suffering severe abuse by his mother and her partner. His heart will be transplanted to a child in Berlin, Germany, and his kidneys, according to reports, will be transferred to a hospital in Thessaloniki, northern Greece.
Two ambulances, escorted by police, transported the organs to Heraklio’s airport shortly before 7 a.m. on Tuesday, February 4.
Earlier, before the procedure began in the early morning hours, surgical teams at the University General Hospital of Heraklio (PAGNI), observed a moment of silence in memory of three-year-old Aggelos (which means Angel in Greek). On a social media post, accompanied by a picture from inside the operating room ahead of the procedure, the Hellenic Transplant Organization said:
“‘One minute of silence’ from the surgical teams as the minimum tribute to little Aggelos, who gave life to fellow sick humans. A warm thanks to the hospital authorities, the children’s ICU and to the entire hospital staff, along with the Heraklion Prosecutor’s Office for the impeccable collaboration. Our immense respect to the grandmother of the little boy for her decision to donate his organs. We hope this act will ease her immense pain.”
Aggelos’ custody had been granted by a Greek court to his grandmother, after the boy’s mother, along with her partner, were arrested and jailed pending trial on several charges, including attempted murder, which will now be upgraded to murder.
The boy’s grandparents, along with an aunt, who is also the boy’s godmother, gave the green light for the donation of the organs after the boy was declared “brain dead” on Sunday, February 2.
The little boy’s story shocked Greece before organs donation
The story of three-year-old Aggelos shocked Greece and sparked outrage across the country.
His 26-year-old mother and her 44-year-old boyfriend have been accused for brutally beating the woman’s young son, who was rushed to a hospital in a critical condition in the island’s main city of Heraklio. The child had suffered a severe head injury, as well as multiple other injuries to his limbs and torso along with burn marks, according to hospital doctors. Little Aggelos remained intubated at the children’s intensive care unit in critical condition.
“Honestly, all of us doctors who have happened to see the young child, we’ve never seen anything like it before,” Stelios Kteniadakis, Heraklion University General Hospital general director told Skai TV at the time.
The couple, who have reportedly blamed each other for the abuse, with each denying they had harmed the boy, was taken under strict secrecy to Korydallos prison in Athens, Greece’s largest jail, after angry crowds had threatened to lynch them during their preliminary court hearing on the island of Crete.