Jessica Lall's eyes gave new lease of life to two individuals

Jessica Lall may not be alive today but her eyes may be watching news reports of her killer enjoying night life in the national capital while on parole.

The family of the 34-year-old model, who was shot dead in a posh bar in south Delhi area 10 years ago, had donated her eyes after the incident. It had given new lease of life to two visually challenged people -- one man and a woman.

"I remember, my hospital was at that time in Green Park. Her cornea had come from Venu Eye Institute and Research Centre," Dr Mahipal S Sachdev, chairman and MD, Centre for Sight, who transplanted one of Jessica's eyes to the male recipient, said.

Sachdev recalled that while Jessica's eyes were being transplanted to the needy, mass prayers for her were going on at the Green Park Free Church, located next to his hospital.

"The gentleman who received her eyes was blind in both the eyes. Her donation helped him at least to see from one eye," he said without giving names of either of the receive of the eyes.

While one of Jessica's cornea was given to the Centre for Sight, another one was transplanted on a blind woman from a village. "There was a long list of people waiting for eye donation. I remember one of her eye was brought to us which I transplanted in a woman who came to us from a far off village," S C Acharjee, a private eye-surgeon at Chittaranjan Park, who performed the transplant.

Sabrina Lall, sister of Jessica, told PTI, "I feel happy that at that point of time even when the situation was completely depressing, we could take a decision to donate her eyes. My father had always advised us to donate organs so that somebody could get a new lease of life and it gives a feeling of satisfaction that it was accomplished."