Eight-month-old Dhyaansh is the youngest survivor of the June 12 Air India crash. The infant’s mother, Manisha Kachhadiya, shielded him as fire engulfed BJ Medical College’s residential complex as the IC171 crashed into the building. As both battled burns, Manisha donated her skin to Dhyaansh for grafting. Now, mother and son have been discharged from the hospital.

Manisha Kachhadiya shielded her eight-month-old son, Dhyaansh, with her body from the flames as Air India’s IC171 crashed into BJ Medical College residential quarters in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 260 people. Despite the searing heat and thick smoke, her only instinct was to protect her infant son, who had turned out to be the youngest survivor of the air crash. Manisha not only shielded Dhyaansh that day, but as both fought burn injuries, the mother gave her skin as a shield to the 8-month-old. In a heart-warming story of survival from the Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad, Manisha and Dhyaansh were discharged from the hospital last week.

Dhyaansh is the son of Manisha and Kapil Kachhadiya, a super-speciality MCh student in urology at BJ Medical College. Kapil was on duty at the hospital when the plane crashed into the hostel on June 12.

Kapil told PTI that when the plane crashed, Manisha suffered injuries, but her priority was to save their son.

“There was a blackout for a second and then our residence was filled with heat,” Manisha told The Times of India.

At that terrifying moment, she grabbed her son and ran. Thick smoke and flames made it nearly impossible to see, and the heat left both mother and child with serious burns.

“There was a moment I thought we would not make it out. But I had to, for my child. We have both been through pain I cannot put into words,” Manish added.

Manisha sustained 25% burns to her face and hands. Dhyaansh suffered 36% burns across his face, both arms, chest, and abdomen.

Both were rushed to KD Hospital, where Dhyaansh was immediately admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The infant required ventilator support to breathe, along with fluid resuscitation, blood transfusion, and highly specialised care for his injuries.

AIR INDIA CRASH AND A MOTHER’S INSTINCTIVE COURAGE

The child’s recovery, doctors said, was medically complex due to his age.

One of the most crucial parts of his treatment was that when skin grafts were required to help heal his wounds, his mother offered her own. Manisha donated her skin to her son, becoming, quite literally, his shield once again.

Dr Adit Desai, managing director of KD Hospital, described the case as deeply moving.

“It was deeply touching because of the mother’s instinctive courage to save her child. From a medical standpoint, every department came together to ensure the best possible outcome,” Desai told The Times of India.

He added that the hospital provided free treatment to six patients affected by the AI171 aeroplane crash.

Plastic surgeon Dr Rutvij Parikh explained to the newspaper how the medical team approached treating the child’s burn injuries with the utmost care.

“The child’s own skin and his mother’s skin grafts were used to treat the burn wounds. The patient’s age was a major factor. We had to make sure the wounds did not get infected and that his growth would be normal. The recovery of the child and mother has been satisfactory.”

FATHER PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE IN SON’S RECOVERY TOO

The father, Kapil, himself a medical professional, played a critical role in his son’s recovery.

“Dr Kapil’s involvement as a father helped enormously. As a medical professional himself, he often made sure the dressings were done properly, even in the middle of the night,” Dr Parikh told The Times of India.

The team of doctors who treated the mother and child included Dr Snehal Patel, Dr Tushar Patel, and Dr Mansi Dandnaik, according to the report.

The child’s condition was complicated by the fact that blood had rushed into one side of his lungs due to the trauma.

“He was kept on ventilatory support, and an intercostal drainage tube was inserted until we achieved good lung expansion,” said Dr Snehal Patel.

After five weeks of intensive treatment and care, both Manisha and Dhyaansh have now been discharged from the hospital. This mother’s love defied both fire and fate to save her son’s life.