Chennai: An Indian heart has given a new lease of life to a young woman from Karachi in Pakistan, and her family, after a transplant surgery at Chennai's MGM Healthcare. And that is only half of this remarkable story; the surgeons, and the hospital, performed the procedure free, thanks to the city-based Aishwaryan Trust.
The 19-year-old Ayesha Rashan, the transplant recipient, wants to study fashion design. Her family said they could not have afforded the operation without the support of the trust and the Chennai doctors.
"I feel good after the transplant," Rashan said as her mother thanked the doctors, the hospital, and the medical trust. Rashan's condition is stable, and she can return to Pakistan.
According to the doctors, Rashan was admitted with severe heart dysfunction. Following heart failure, she was put on ECMO, which is a form of life support for people with life-threatening illness or injury that affects the function of their heart or lungs.
However, her heart pump then developed a leak in a valve, necessitating a full heart transplant.
A heart transplant can cost over Rs 35,00,000. In Rashan's case, this bill was covered by the doctors and the trust.
The donor heart came from Delhi, and the young girl was lucky, Dr KR Balakrishnan, Director (Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant), and Dr Suresh Rao (Co-Director (Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant), said.
They said Rashan received the heart rapidly since there were no competing claims as otherwise a foreigner can't get an organ.
