Tamilian gifts life to a Kashmiri woman, 3000 kilometers away
We all studied the chapter Unity in diversity in school. As adults, we hear stories that prove the statement right. Recently, a life-saving incident once again proved that the distance between Kashmir and Kanyakumari is just a number.
Shahzadi Fathima from Shrinagar, Kashmir received a heart of an 18-year-old brain dead patient who was 3000 kilometres away in Tamil Nadu.
Fathima had worsening heart failure symptoms due to Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), a condition where the chambers of the heart become stiff over time. Heart failure is a long-term condition in which the ability of the heart to pump blood reduces with time.
Improper flow of blood further affects heart health as well as other organs. In situations when heart failure gets worse, surgery or a heart transplant is the last treatment option left.
In Fatima’s case, a heart transplant at the earliest was the last resort left.
On December 31, 2021, she was admitted to the hospital with severe heart failure at MGM healthcare, Chennai.
In such cases finding a suitable donor becomes the toughest part. Luckily on January 26, Fathima found a suitable donor in Trichy, Tamil Nadu.
The donor's heart was later transported for 350 kilometres to Chennai through a green corridor.
Later, a high-risk transplant was conducted and Fathima is recovering well.
Organ transplantation is a life-saving process. Fathima is a daily wage earner who received financial support from Aishwarya Trust, a non-profit organization.