Refusing to compromise on seizure treatment, Dr. Cecil prompted an emergency landing, saving 3-year-old Steve.
At 30,000 feet, with a 3-year-old boy struggling to breathe and oxygen levels dropping, Dubai resident Dr. Cecil Kunnapilly faced a harrowing situation.
The child, Steve, was recovering from pneumonia and suddenly fell ill. His parents, the US-based Akkara family, were travelling with their three children on an annual vacation. During the final leg from Dubai to Kochi, they noticed Steve appeared unusually drowsy. At first, they assumed it was just jet lag — but it soon became clear that something was seriously wrong.
Dr. Cecil sprang into action and quickly noticed that the onboard oximeter was designed for adults. Adapting, he squeezed three of Steve’s fingers together to obtain a reading. The results were alarming — the boy’s oxygen level was dangerously low, even as two UK-based doctors were already providing oxygen from a portable tank.
“I felt like the tank was faulty and requested a replacement,” Dr. Cecil said.
When the new oxygen tank arrived, Steve’s oxygen saturation improved but remained below safe levels. Suddenly, seizures began, triggered by the lack of oxygen. Dr. Cecil acted quickly, using an instrument to keep the child’s airway open.
When airline staff brought medication to stop the seizures, he made a crucial decision. Fearing the drug could worsen respiratory distress, he refused its use and advised the crew that Steve required urgent medical attention. His intervention prompted an emergency landing at Mumbai airport.
“I wasn’t sure if it was a dream”
Dr. Cecil was heading home to Kerala for a weekend trip after a long day at work. Boarding the flight from Dubai, he hoped to catch some rest. Instead, a vague announcement caught his attention.
“When I woke up, I wasn’t sure if I had actually heard it or if it was a dream,” the specialist general surgeon at Al Futtaim Healthcare told Khaleej Times. “I asked the person in the adjacent seat if there had been an announcement, and when he confirmed it, I stepped forward.”
Two UK-based doctors were already attending to the child, administering oxygen from the onboard cylinder. But as the most senior medical professional on site, Dr. Cecil quickly assumed responsibility.
“Our son is alive”
The flight was diverted to Mumbai, where Steve was rushed to hospital. Dr. Cecil continued on to Kochi, unsure of the child’s condition. Days later, the family located him on social media.
“After landing in Mumbai and transferring our child to the hospital, the attending doctors confirmed that the timely interventions and precise decisions made during the flight — especially by Dr. Cecil — were instrumental in saving our child’s life,” wrote Pinto Akkara.
Dr. Cecil, however, was quick to share credit with the team — the two UK doctors who kept the parents calm and the parents themselves, who trusted the medical process.
“The other doctors were very compassionate and helped to keep the parents calm,” he said. “The parents were also very understanding and did not interfere as we made critical decisions. I am thankful that we were all able to make a difference.”
For the Akkara family, that difference is everything: their son is alive.
