A brain-dead Tamil teenager gave a new life to a 33-year-old Kashmiri woman by donating his heart.
Shahzadi Fatima suffered a condition where the chambers of the heart become stiff over time. She became terminally ill and her only hope of survival was early life-saving heart transplantation.
She was rushed to MGM Healthcare where doctors worked hard to look for a donor.
On January 26, a brain-dead patient was identified in a private hospital at Trichy. His heart was rushed to Chennai through a green corridor and the transplantation was carried out. The operation was successful and she is now ready to start a new life.
Coming from a humble family, Fathima’s brother is a daily wage earner. Aishwarya Trust, a non-profit group, came to her help and bore all the treatment costs.
“It was a meaningful way for Aishwarya Trust to celebrate Republic Day by funding the lady’s heart transplant on January 26,” Chitra Viswanathan, the trust’s founder, said in a statement.
MGM Healthcare too chipped in and carried out the transplant at a subsidized cost. Dr. KR Balakrishnan, who led the surgery, thanked the donor’s family for agreeing to organ donation “in the face of great personal tragedy”.