AHMEDABAD: When a girl was born on Ganesh Chaturthi in 2004 to the Bhatt family in Bharuch, the parents named her Tarjani, meaning the index finger. The parents started worrying about her when she would urinate more than normal. The diagnosis pointed to nephrocalcinosis, a condition where too much calcium is deposited in the kidneys, severely hampering their functioning.
“The condition also caused frequent kidney stones, resulting in 15-odd operations. Even after spending Rs 2.5 lakh, her condition kept getting worse. We also got another daughter in 2007, who also was found to have the same disease,” said Apexa Bhatt, her mother.
In 2008-09, Tarjani was brought to IKDRC where she was put on hold for a transplant, as the science for pediatric transplants was still nascent at the institute. Meanwhile, she was put on dialysis in 2013 with her condition getting worse.
“At the age of 9, she became the first pediatric liver and kidney transplant recipient in 2013 as she got the organs from a brain-dead child in Bhavnagar. She survived. However, our other daughter did not survive even after I donated part of my liver to her,” recounted Bhatt.
Today a school student, Tarjani leads an active life, has won laurels for her NCC participation, skating and other activities. “We cannot imagine what would happen to her if we had not found a suitable donor in time. My daughter got another shot at life, all thanks to the family that lost their boy but gifted life to us,” said Bhatt.
As August 13 is celebrated as World Organ Donation Day, state-based experts said there are scores of such patients who have got several years to live thanks to often faceless donors who give the gift of life.
Experts said that so far in 2021, the state recorded 98 organ donations, which is 89% of 110 organ donations in 2020. Since July 1, the state has recorded the donation of nine kidneys, seven livers, four lungs and one heart. Four cadaver donations were from Ahmedabad, and three from Surat, said State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO) officials.
Dropadi Gwalani, now 71, had her liver transplant a decade ago due to cirrhosis. “I was a nurse before retirement. The disease was so bad that I was counting my days. I didn’t know how much would I live, but I am here thanks to the organ donors. I still talk about donations as I feel that there are so many misconceptions about the procedure and outcomes,” she said.
