19-Year-Old Pakistani Girl Gets an Indian Heart | ISH News
Recently, I came across a heartwarming story about an Indian helping a Pakistani. I will tell you about the incident. In Karachi, Pakistan, a 19 year old girl suffered a massive cardiac arrest and was struggling. She suffered partial heart failure, where her heart’s left side stopped working. They quickly
flew to India and got admitted to MGM Healthcare Hospital in Chennai. The hospital’s senior cardiac surgeon Dr. KR Balakrishnan recommended a heart transplant and placed her on the waitlist. The girl was going through a lot of cardiac issues. She was just 19 and was on the waiting list.
But Dr Balakrishnan gave her a LVAD and it looks like this. They performed surgery to temporarily support her heart function. Once she recovered, she flew back home to Karachi, Pakistan. But in 2023, she suffered another heart attack. Remember, she previously had a heart failure on the left side.
Now, it happened on the right side. So, they quickly flew back to the same MGM Hospital in Chennai. The doctor observed that she was experiencing problems again, noticing her difficulty in breathing. The doctors put her on ECMO which helps the blood circulation. But it wasn’t a long term
solution as the ECMO machine developed a leak in a valve. She was still on the waiting list and there was a lot of panic. An NGO called Aishwaryam Trust
a functional heart. They discussed with the person’s family, who agreed to the transplant. They then took the heart from that patient. The heart was flown from Delhi to Chennai. A transplant surgery was performed and the girl was saved. The donor’s identity was kept confidential and the transplant was
complete. The girl’s family struggled to afford the surgery. The doctor felt very bad for the family. Dr. Balakrishnan said, “She’s like my daughter, and I feel sorry for her as she is just 19.” Aishwaryam Trust and MGM Hospital covered the full ₹35 lakhs cost of the surgery. In
an interview, Ayesha’s family expressed gratitude, saying, “India fully cooperated with us for this surgery and gave us all the support. We’re very thankful for everything.” In Pakistan, no one supported us. Healthcare services are not good there. India is much better.” Ayesha said “I feel good after the transplant.
I can breathe easy now”. After returning, she wants to finish her schooling, which she had discontinued and wants to become a fashion designer. Wait! You might have a doubt as to how she got the heart immediately despite being on the waiting list. She was on a waiting list,
hoping for a donor match. However, the person who passed away was not on the donor list. The donors family was contacted and a decision was made immediately. Since the man was not on the donor list and there no competing claims, the family agreed and the heart was given
to Ayesha.
