Thane: Dialysis patient dies, her liver saves a life

  • | Saturday | 19th January, 2019

Wagh, who is associated with Sushrusha Hospital in Dadar, said she started discussing the possibility of organ donation with her husband and son. MUMBAI: Thane resident Asha Bhalerao's (62) family had seen her six-year-long struggle to live with kidney failure all too closely. Overall, merely 3% of the 4100-odd patient waiting for organs got one. When she couldn't stand on her feet, the family rushed her to Jupiter Hospital, where she had been undergoing dialysis since 2013. She hoped to get an organ but didn't live to undergo that transplant.

MUMBAI: Thane resident Asha Bhalerao's (62) family had seen her six-year-long struggle to live with kidney failure all too closely. So, when she started slipping away on Tuesday after suffering an intracranial bleed a day before, they knew exactly what to do.Bhalerao's family donated her liver to save the life of a 69-year-old woman, who had been waiting for an organ for nearly a year and had registered in several centres across the state. After Bhalerao was declared brain dead on Thursday, they donated her skin and corneas too. The donation at Thane's Jupiter Hospital marked the city's fourth cadaver donation of the year.The family believes she would have approved of the donation. "She lived the pain herself for every single day. She hoped to get an organ but didn't live to undergo that transplant. Organ donation not just saves the life of a recipient but of everyone around the patient, who too are sufferers in many ways," said her sister Meena Wagh.She said they also donated her organs in the hope she stays alive in someone else.The mother of two sons, Bhalerao, is suspected to have suffered an intracranial bleed on Monday soon after returning home from her dialysis that she needed thrice a week. "On Monday evening, she complained of uneasiness and had several bouts of vomiting. She had a cup of tea but that didn't make her feel better," she said. When she couldn't stand on her feet, the family rushed her to Jupiter Hospital, where she had been undergoing dialysis since 2013. Bhalerao's blood pressure had shot up and a CT scan showed she was bleeding in her brain.The very next day doctors at the hospital had informed the family that she could suffer brain death. Wagh, who is associated with Sushrusha Hospital in Dadar, said she started discussing the possibility of organ donation with her husband and son. "We were all willing to donate her organs, but we also hoped for a miracle, so we didn't allow doctors to start the brain death certification till Thursday," she said.Jupiter's transplant coordinator Aniruddha Kulkarni said that the family was self-motivated and had even consented to donate her heart, but it couldn't be transplanted. "The sad reality is that patients have to wait anywhere between 5-7 years to get a cadaver kidney which proves to be too long for many," he said. Bhalerao also didn't find a match in her family to undergo a live transplant.In 2018, less than 100 patients out of over 3500 waiting for a kidney could undergo an organ transplant, while over 700 new patients were added to the waitlist. Cadaver organ donations dropped by nearly 20% in the city. Almost all donations came from private hospitals. Overall, merely 3% of the 4100-odd patient waiting for organs got one.

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