Chennai: How An Indian Donor's Heart Gave New Life To Pak Teen

Transcending geographical borders, an Indian donor's heart has now given a new life to a teenager who hails from Pakistan. The heart transplant, which was held in a Chennai hospital, proved to be a blessing for 19-year-old Ayesha Rashan. Rashan, who hails from Karachi had a serious condition of a "dysfunctional" heart and travelled to Chennai with her mother to seek treatment. 

Despite running several campaigns back home in Pakistan, Ayesha's single mother could not arrange for funds for the transplant, however, it was after deliberate attempts that a trust came forward to aid the two.

Indian Donor Grants New Life To Pak Teen

Getting treated at Chennai's MGM Healthcare, Ayesha and her mother first visited India in 2019 when she was 14. When she was brought to India, her heart condition was debilitating. Following heart failure, Ayesha was also put on an ECMO, a life support system for heart or lungs given to patients with life-threatening injuries or illnesses.

Despite putting Ayesha on life support, her heart valve punctured and developed a leak due to which she had to be kept with an open heart and there was no option but a heart transplant. 

The doctors and the trusts covered the heart transplant which cost around ₹35 Lakhs or even more as they took care of the hospital bills and made the surgery possible for Ayesha.

When the Director of the Institute of Hearts and Lungs, Dr KR Balkrishnan and Co-Director Dr Suresh Rao were asked why they covered hospital bills for Rashan, they told the media how treating a patient for such a long time builds a bond and how Ayesha is like his own daughter and "every life matters."

The teen's mother told NDTV about how she felt about her daughter's life-saving transplant that she felt both grateful and happy with how everything turned around in the end. 

Ayesha's heartwarming story serves as a beacon of hope demonstrating the power of the life-saving potential of organ donations.