Ayesha Rashan, a 19-year-old from Karachi, Pakistan had been suffering from heart disease for a decade. Her first visit to India was in 2014, she had a heart pump implanted during that year to support her deteriorating heart. However, in 2019, Ayesha suffered from a cardiac arrest and was ill for several months. This incident prompted her to seek medical treatment in India.
Her family sought consultation from Dr, KR Balakrishnan, senior Cardiac Surgeon and Director of the Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant, and Dr. Suresh Rao, Co-Director of the MGM Healthcare Hospital, Chennai, India. The medical team advised her to get a heart transplant as quickly as possible because her existing heart pump had a leak and she was placed on an Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a life support procedure. She was waitlisted for a heart transplant on Tamil Nadu's organ registry.
Rashan's family hesitated to go ahead with the procedure due to financial constraints. The transplant process would cost more than Rs.35 lakhs! They reached out to the doctors and then the medical team connected them with Chennai-based 'Aishwaryam Trust' for financial assistance. In September'23, Ayesha and her family received the call they had been eagerly waiting for; she was matched with a potential donor. It was the heart of a 69-year-old resident in Delhi who had been declared brain dead. It is usually difficult for foreigners to receive donor organs but since there was no one competing for the organ, Ayesha was able to start the transplant procedure soon.
Despite the huge age difference, the surgery was carried out due to the teen's critical condition says Dr. Suresh Rao.
Around late January this year, Ayesha Rashan underwent a successful heart transplant surgery in Chennai. After her 18-month stay in India, she was discharged on April 17th. Her mother, Sanobar recalls how her daughter's health was deteriorating to 10% vitality when they arrived in India. They were displeased with Pakistan's organ transplant services when compared to India's. She's grateful that Ayesha got good medical help from the doctors in India.
According to reports, the 19-year-old can breathe easily now and has expressed her gratitude to the Government of India for granting her the visa and allowing her to be treated in this country.
Ayesha is now doing much better and dreams of becoming a fashion designer someday.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Aditi Madathingal/MSM)
