Karachi resident Ayesha Rashan, 19, has received a life-saving heart transplant from a 69-year-old organ donor in India, reported The Indian Express. The procedure, paid for by an NGO and costing over INR3.5 million, was carried out in Chennai, marking the end of a five-year wait for the patient. “I can breathe easy now,” Ayesha told the Times of India. “I plan on completing my schooling in Karachi. I want to become a fashion designer.”
Ayesha’s family had initially taken her to India in 2019 following cardiac arrest and heart failure. According to news reports in Indian media, a heart transplant was suggested at the time by a senior cardiac surgeon. As a result, Ayesha was placed on a waiting list. In the meantime, as a stopgap measure, she was fitted with a left ventricular assist device to help her heart pump blood.
Ayesha flew back home after the procedure, but in 2023, her health deteriorated as her heart began to malfunction on the right side. In addition, Ayesha’s heart pump had developed a leak. “It was terrible watching my daughter suffer,” recalled her mother, Sanobar. “We reached out to the surgeon and told him we couldn’t afford surgery, but he asked us to come to India."
It was decided by Ayesha’s medical team in India that at this juncture, the only viable option was a heart transplant. The procedure took place on January 31, with Ayesha being discharged on April 17. Ayesha’s medical bills were covered by the NGO Aishwarya Trust, as well as donations from medical professionals and former patients.
"We decided to take the risk partly because the condition of the donor's heart was good and partly because we knew this was Ayesha's only chance," explained Dr Suresh Rao KG, co-director at MGM Healthcare's Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant. With her health now stable, Ayesha has been cleared by her medical team and is now able to return home.
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