Panchkula’s donated heart gives new life to Sudanese teen in Delhi
New Delhi: A 14-year-old boy from Sudan who came to Delhi for treatment was given a second chance at life after a donor heart was airlifted from Panchkula in neighboring Haryana state. 41-year-old Panchkula woman declared brain dead, while her family agrees organ donation. Sudeshna Singh, a teacher and the wife of a serving Indian Army officer, was admitted to Chandimandir Command Hospital with severe cerebral haemorrhage and stayed in the ICU for nearly 17 days.For a boy whose mother works in Egypt, a transplant is the only option. He arrived in India about a month ago and was initially in stable condition, but his condition worsened again.“He developed severe heart failure last week. Transplantation was his only chance,” said Dr Mukesh Goel, senior consultant, cardiothoracic surgery, Apollo Hospitals. After doctors confirmed brain death, the family was consulted about organ donation. “In this case, there’s a limited window of about 24 to 72 hours,” a family friend said. The man was hesitant at first, but was persuaded by his eldest daughter, a twelfth-grade student, to agree to donate.The boy’s matching donor heart became available after Singh was declared brain dead on May 2. Due to limited time to retrieve and implant the heart, a dedicated Apollo team flew to Chandigarh on a chartered flight to retrieve the organ and returned to Delhi that evening. The green corridor created by the Delhi Traffic Police ensures that the heart reaches the hospital from the airport in about 20 minutes.Dr Gaurav Kumar, senior consultant, pediatric cardiovascular surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, said, “The heart was implanted and circulation was restored within critical time. The transplant was successfully completed at midnight.”
