'Dead' Kannur Man Resurrects On Way To Mortuary

The Mangaluru-Kannur ambulance journey on January 14 was presumed to be sexagenarian Pavitharn's final journey and his family had started preparations for the last rites.

Kannaur: Pavithran, the sexagenarian from Kannur who was declared dead by doctors, miraculously came back from the jaws of death, making headlines in the local newspapers.

The ambulance journey from Mangaluru to Kannur on January 14 was presumed to be his final journey and his family had started preparations for the last rites. While he was being shifted from the ambulance to the mortuary of Kannur AKG Memorial Co-operative Hospital, two staffers — electrician Anoop and night supervisor R Jayan — felt movement in Pavithran's hand. After reading his pulse, they immediately informed doctors who confirmed he was alive and rushed him to the ICU.

"This is the first time in my life I experienced something like this. I feel like I am being brought back to life on the way to the freezer. I felt more happy than scared. I went to the ICU after my duty and when I saw it, my eyes opened. I felt so happy," Jayan said.

"I still can't believe this. The doctors at the private hospital in Mangaluru had already ordered to prepare his death certificate. During the five-hour journey from Mangaluru to Kannur, he did not respond or show any signs of life and we also felt that he was no more. But when he was being taken to the mortuary he started moving limbs, surprising all of us," Pavithran's wife Sudha said.

In the ICU, Pavithran slowly opened his eyes. "Currently, Pavithran is being treated by a medical team under the leadership of Dr Purnima Rao. The medical team is doing its level best. People will know about this in a while. Pavithran is now comfortable and breathing without ventilator support. This is a miraculous and astonishing event which has left everyone in awe. Even after a day, it is a source of wonder and joy that Pavithran is doing well," Ashokan, PRO at the Hospital, said.

Pavithran had been receiving treatment in critical condition at the Hegde Hospital in Mangaluru following respiratory failure and heart-kidney-related issues. The hospital authorities concluded that Pavithran had only a few days to live. Losing hope, the family decided to take him off the ventilator.

While being transferred from Mangaluru to Kannur in an ambulance on Monday, a twist unfolded that seemed straight out of a movie. A former Gulf expatriate, Pavithran had returned to Kannur a few years ago. In addition to respiratory issues, he had suffered a stroke that left part of his body paralysed.