New Delhi: It is a bizarre twist in the tale of organ transplant in Sir Ganga Ram hospital none had imagined. Fate intervened and turned the tale upside down. The patient who had come for kidney transplant after a long wait for donor, died to gift life to many waiting for organs. His heart and liver gave new lease of life to two on death bed. Inscrutable are the ways of fate.
When 48 years old Rajesh came to Sir Ganga Ram hospital for kidney transplant, God must have smiled with a of touch pity because He had something else in store for him. Rajesh (name changed) had come to the hospital for life but died to gift his life instead.
Thanks to hypertension wreaking havoc on his kidney, Rajesh had been on dialyses for the last five years waiting in vain for kidney donor. His quest for kidney coming to naught, his 70 year old father made bold to part with one of his kidneys to save his son’s life. Rajesh, originally from Shivpuri Madhya Pradesh, consulted Dr A K Bhalla, Chairman and Head of the Department of Nephrology who planned his kidney transplant. While preparation was on, something untoward happened and the situation took a bizarre turn.
With everything meticulously arranged and the donor prepared, the surgery was scheduled for March 8th, 2024. However, fate had other plans. Just days before the planned procedure, owing to his hypertension condition, he suffered a severe brain stroke. The medical evaluation revealed a substantial intracranial bleed left brain, causing a significant midline shift, which led to a grim prognosis despite surgical evacuation of blood collection in the brain. His family was devastated.
Coinciding with this heartbreaking news, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital was abuzz with media presence as the story of the first Bilateral Hand transplant in North India, performed at the hospital, had just captured national and international attention. Amidst his despair, Mr Ram Singh father of Rajesh along with Rajesh’s wife Nalini took the decision to donate the organs of Rajesh.
After an excruciating wait, Rajesh was declared brain dead on March 13, 2024, leaving his family shattered. His parents, wife, teenage daughter, who had her 12th board physics exam on March 15, and his son, who was in 9th grade, had all been eagerly awaiting Rajesh’s recovery, longing to see his smiling face once again.
In accordance with his family’s wishes, arrangements were promptly made for Rajesh’s organs to be donated. Following assessments, his heart and liver were deemed suitable for donation. Given the narrow three-hour window for a heart transplant, the efficient Delhi Traffic Police swiftly organized a Green corridor from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Waiting at the airport tarmac was a chartered plane ready to transport Rajesh’s heart to MGM Hospital in Chennai. There, a patient from Oman and their family awaited the lifesaving transplant eagerly. The remarkable speed with which the Delhi Traffic Police facilitated this journey is truly commendable, ensuring that the heart transplant was successfully completed within the crucial three hour timeframe. This act not only saved a life but also forged a lasting bond between the families in Oman and Rajesh’s family here in India.
Rajesh’s liver found its recipient in a patient battling liver cirrhosis, registered since 2022. He had to undergo tapping every week. The liver transplant was done by Dr Ushast Dhir (Director, Department of Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery Sir Ganga Ram Hospital).The courageous decision of the family, inspired by the story of Ms. M (name changed), brought immense hope to two families amidst adversity.
