Organ donation has given a new lease of life to a 24-year-old pharmacy student suffering from congenital heart disease. The patient, Akshara Aher, underwent a rare procedure, which involved a heart and a bilateral lung transplant. While the surgery was carried out in June, doctors said Ms. Aher is now in recovery.
According to the doctors, the Panvel resident had a ventricular defect since childhood, which led to her developing Eisenmenger’s syndrome. This disease creates a shunt between two chambers of the heart, causing patients to develop severe complications over time, eventually turning out to be life-threatening.
“Patients suffering from this syndrome could have undergone corrective surgery in childhood. But it is only recently that these facilities have become more common. Organ transplant is the only option for such patients,” said Dr. Sandeep Attawar from Gleneagles Global Hospitals, who operated on her.
According to Ms. Aher, her situation had worsened over the past two years. “I could not walk for more than five minutes and would turn blue after the slightest physical activity. That is when we decided to go ahead with the procedure, and approached the hospital,” she said. According to doctors, the surgery costs go up to nearly ₹50 lakh. In this case, the funds were given by Bharat Petroleum, where the patient’s father is employed.
Ms. Aher hopes to be back on her feet and run a pharmacy one day. “She also hopes to pursue her hobbies of dancing and mountain climbing,” her brother said.
