20-Year-Old Becomes Ahmedabad’s First Heart Donor, Saves 42-Year-Old Woman

A shortage of donated organs in India continues to be a crisis, putting on hold the lives of thousands of patients on the waiting list, who could otherwise lead a much better life with a donor organ.

42-year-old Rekha Navadia from Surat had been suffering from an enlarged heart condition for an entire decade. The condition, which is known as dilated cardiomyopathy, makes one’s heart weaker and pump blood much lesser than the required amount.

Eking out life with a pacemaker for the last eight years, her heart was still struggling with the enhanced pumping capacity dropping by 15-20 per cent.

“In such a condition, only a new heart can save her life,” Dr Dhiren Shah, who is a heart transplant surgeon, told Times of India.

Coming to the rescue was the heart of a 20-year-old youngster from Ahmedabad, who was declared brain dead following a road accident on Saturday.

Kushal Goswami, a resident of Kubernagar area in the city, had sustained severe brain injuries, which could not be fixed even after two brain surgeries. When the doctors of the hospital where Kushal was admitted, finally declared him brain dead, his parents decided to donate his organs that could give someone a new lease of life.

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And Rekha was shortlisted for the transplant, which was conducted on Tuesday morning.

“This heart transplantation is important because, for the first time, the donor has come from Ahmedabad – a city which has a population of nearly 55 lakh but there had not been even a single donor. Besides, the heart came from a boy to a female recipient. This is also important,” added Dr Shah.

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