DW BUREAU / Chandigarh A 26-year-old road accident victim from Himachal Pradesh gave the "gift of life" to one terminally ill person with renal failure and two other patients with his parents giving consent for donation of his organs, the PGIMER said on Monday. The family of victim Pankaj belongs to Jogipur village in Kangra district. Paying tributes to the donor family, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Director Jagat Ram said: "It takes grit, an elevated sense of social responsibility and a heart to do what the family of Pankaj has done. "In their act of exemplary courage, they have not only helped give people a second chance to live but have also inspired many more people to donate organs. "Donor Pankaj has not died, instead he will live in three different lives and in the hearts of all of us for his kind act." As per the PGIMER, Pankaj met a road accident on night of December 28. He, along with a friend, was going on a two-wheeler when they were hit by a vehicle from the opposite side. The impact of the accident was so massive that Pankaj fell down and became unconscious at the accident site due to a severe head injury. The critically injured Pankaj was first rushed to a local private hospital in Mohali and then was referred to the PGIMER. He lost his battle for life on December 30 due to cardiac arrest. Though the opportunity to retrieve other organs barring kidneys was lost owing to cardiac arrest, which is generally leveraged if the patient is declared brain-dead, transplant coordinators on duty apprised the family of the limited opportunity of organ donation in case of cardiac death to which his father Joginder Kumar consented. "It's very devastating to lose your son in his prime. We were preparing for his marriage scheduled after two months and here we are empty-handed, with our lives doomed with this untimely tragedy. Nothing in this world can fill the void created by my son's loss. Our true life force has gone and we are just counting the days," Joginder Kumar said. "It's no life without him. I said 'yes' for organ donation of my beloved son so that some other family does not face the cruel fate like us." Following the consent by the donor family, the cross match of several potential recipients by the Department of Nephrology was initiated. (editor@dailyworld.in)