Davies Kollannur, a beacon of hope for transplant patients, dies at 57
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Davies Kollannur, who courageously altered the course of his life three times, has now sailed beyond the horizon for the final time. Davies who survived three life threatening ordeals- two kidney transplants and a battle with leukemia disease- stood as asymbol of resilience and hopefor thousands oftransplantpatients in Kerala. The man who lived with extraordinary courage, quietly slipped away on Monday night in Thrissur, following a sudden respiratory distress at 57. He left behind a legacy that still refuses to fade. A decorated transplant sportsman, Davies won a silver medal for India at the 2011 Sweden International Transplant Games in Badminton, followed by a bronze in singles and silver in doubles at the Durban International in South Africa in 2013. He was also a two time (2003, 2006) national championin Badminton in National Transplant Games.For thousands of transplant patients inKerala, Davies was not merely a survivor, he was proof that a broken body could still carry an unbroken will. His death arrived abruptly without warning as if knowing that any hint of danger would awaken his instinct to fight. He was active even on his last day. He spoke to me around 8 pm about how his day went, said his kindred soul Jayasree CG. After that the next thing I heard was that he was gone, she said.Davies was working as a transplant coordinator at Daya General Hospital in Thrissur. Born and raised in Villadom, Kolannur Veedu, Thrissur, Davies gow up with the cultural beat of the city, Pooram procession, decorated Elephants and temple- Church grounds. After graduation, he worked as an Assistant Manager in an Italian hotel in Pune for three years. Like many young Keralites, he later moved to Saudi Arabia, workIng as a Chief Cashier in a fashion retail outlet until the first tragedy struck him at the age 30 years,when his both kidneys failed. He was forced to return home and begin dialysis. Hemet Dr TT Paul, nephrologist at West Fort hospital in Thrissur who changed his course of life later. In the late 1990s dialysis facilities were scarce in Thrissur or Ernakulam, forcing patients to travel to Coimbatore or Chennai. Davies underwent nearly 300 dialysis sessions before receiving his transplant under Dr. TT Paul on August 25, 2001. At that time transplant recipients were advised to avoid physical exertion and lead a quiet life. As Davis began gaining weight, Dr. Paul urged him to resume exercise, rekindling his lost love for badminton. Doctor reassured him that he attached kidney will not fall off, if you play badminton. Davies took up the racket and never looked back. After winning gold medals at the National TransplantGames in 2003 and 2006, he stepped onto the international stage and brought home several medals in 2011 and 2013. Impressed by his spirit, Dr. Paul and the hospital authorities invited Davies to join the West Fort hospital as a transplant coordinator in 2003, using Davies and his positive energy to utilise. Life tested him again in 2014, when he was diagnosed with leukemia. He underwent chemotherapy at CMC Vellore and Amritha Hospital in Ernakulam without taking a single day leave, determined not to abandon the kidney patients who relied on him. Later an infection left him unconscious for 15 days in West Fort Hospital. On those nights Dr. Paul, who considered Davies a son, sat by bedside readingO Henry's 'Last Leaf'. He later told Davies's friends that perhaps words might succeedwhere medicine hadfaltered. In the short story, 'Last Leaf', when a young artist falls ill and thinks that she would die when the last leaf falls from anivy vine outside her window. Then to save her and from losing hope, her neighbour, a failed artist painted a realistic leaf on the wall. Though Davies came back to life, cancer and the treatment had caused him dearly as his body rejected the transplanted kidney. On 12 January, 2016 the second time surgery took place for organ transplantation. After his discharge from hospital he rejoined for work and resumed badminton. Davies and Dr. Paul had then started workingat Daya General Hospital. On December 8, 2025 he was active. still speaking to those who needed him. Hours later, he was gone, after a sudden collapse from respiratorydistress.If he had received even the faintest warning, Davies would have survived it, Jayasree said, her voice steady but heavy. He always fought back. On Tuesday, Dr. Paul sat alone in the St. Mary's Church, Ponganamkad waiting as he had done countless times in his homesforDavies with his gentle smile and humour. But for thousands whose lives he touched, Davies hasn't vanished.
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