Organ Transplantation accomplishes Milestone at PGIMER

Organ Transplantation accomplishes Milestone at PGIMER

With its 3^rd Heart Transplant & 25^th Liver Transplant Gives Second Chance of Life to Four & Sight to Two 

Sky Hawk Times

Chandigarh, 27 October

“The waiting continued and the months dragged on. My brother’s condition was rapidly deteriorating because of the Decompensated Cardio Myopathy. Though we all tried to be positive but in the heart of hearts we knew that death was imminent for him and he was just counting days….The transplant was absolutely necessary to save him.” 

“We had almost given up completely until yesterday when the call came that would save his life. The message: “There’s a possibility that there may be a heart for you today.” We couldn’t believe it. It felt like a miracle, like we were in a dream. We feel so very lucky and blessed. We have received from a total stranger, the most important gift of all, the gift of life for our dear brother,” said the elder brother of Sukhjeet (name changed), who underwent heart transplant surgery today, this being the 3^rd heart transplant at PGIMER Chandigarh.

It was not only Sukhjeet’s family finding it hard to express their gratitude to the donor family. The same sentiment was echoed by husband of Sarita (name changed) as  the cadaver liver came as a life saver for her. She was suffering from Hepatitis C related Cirrhosis, a life-threatening condition and had been waiting for a healthy organ for months. “It is easier said. Only you understand when you go through it. God came to our rescue in the guise of this noble donor. It’s one of the most miraculous things that has happened in our lives,” said Sarita’s husband as he waited outside the ICU post the transplant.

Equally indebted felt the families of the two recipients of kidneys and pancreas as they thanked the donor family for their generosity for ending the ordeal of their dear ones of daily dialysis because of the incapacitating Diabetic Type 1 ailment. “This gift to us is something we couldn’t buy or make. Its just that – a gift of life. We could not have been luckier,” the families said in unison.   

With tears welling up in her eyes, the son of Vimla Devi (name changed) who got the gift of sight with cornea transplant, said, “It means a world to me that my mother will be able to see  much better than she could for the past 20 years. Who would know better than her that sight is very precious and life is a drag when it is limited.”

Thanks to the selfless and magnanimous gesture of the family of deceased Kiran (name changed) that enabled second chance of life to four critical patients and gave gift of sight to two more, thereby impacting six precious lives, making it 25th cadaver organ donation in 2016 herein PGIMER today.

Kiran, 35 years, hailing from a small village in Punjab suffered irreversible brain damage caused by a freak injury when going on a two-wheeler was knocked off by a speeding car from behind."Kiran fell and hit her head on the divider," said a relative  while wiping his tears. Losing no time, the family rushed her to PGIMER wherein she underwent surgery but her condition did not improve. Kiran was declared brain dead after six days following which the hospital's transplant coordinators counseled the distraught family. "They convinced us that it was a noble deed. We were told that it could save several lives," said the parents of deceased Kiran who willingly consented to donate all the vital organs of the deceased, thereby enabling a second lease of life to six people, ending their fight for survival. As a step further, the lungs were also harvested for further medical research.  

Expressing his gratefulness to the donor family, Dr Vipin Koushal, Nodal Officer, ROTTO PGIMER stated, “It is an extremely hard decision for anyone to make when you are put in that situation, but families like that of deceased Kiran definitely instill a sense of confidence not only for the in-waiting recipients fighting a losing battle but also for the Organ Donation Programme. It’s a ‘gift of life’ for the recipients and huge accomplishment for the entire team of PGIMER involved in the process right from brain death certification committee, transplant coordinators, treating doctors and especially intensivists who maintained the body in the best condition for optimum usage of organs and transplant surgeons who saved precious lives with their capability, competency and synergy. It was the coordinated and proactive initiative on each one’s part that enabled PGIMER accomplish this milestone.