Μake us preferred on Google Andreas Iliadis, director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the University Hospital of Patras, is marking November, Organ Donation Awareness Month, with a symbolic gesture.
The physician will row 17 kilometers, dedicating each one to the 17 children who were treated in his unit and could not be saved. Through their parents’ courageous decision to donate their organs, these “little heroes” gave others a chance at life.
Iliadis said the initiative has two aims: to pay tribute to these “little warriors” and to raise awareness of organ donation. He noted that, statistically, each of us is more likely to need a transplant than to become a donor.
Reflecting on three decades in intensive care, he said the hardest part of his job is still telling a family that their child has died, followed almost at once by the difficult conversation about donation. He expressed deep admiration for these parents. In a moment of utter devastation, he said, they find the strength to think about saving other children.
Iliadis also spoke about the harrowing case of a 4-month-old infant recently admitted to the ICU malnourished and with rodent bites. He explained that neglect is a serious form of abuse. The case prompted an immediate response from prosecutors, forensic pathologists, and police, and led to the parents’ arrest.
The baby is now out of danger. The infant is in safe care at Karamandaneio Children’s Hospital, regaining weight, and is expected to begin a new life free from harm.
