Brain dead man saves two lives by gifting kidneys

One good turn, they say, deserves another. On Saturday night, Veena Raikar, a mother of two, who had been suffering from kidney failure for four years, received the gift of life.

Family members of Sanjay Dhaetode, 39, who died of brain haemorrhage and hypertension on Saturday night, gave their consent to donate his kidneys to two needy patients. While one kidney went to a 55-year-old female patient at Bombay Hospital, who had been suffering from renal failure for the past five years, the other kidney was successfully given to Raikar at Hurkissondas Nurrottamdas Hospital, Charni Road.

“The gesture is particularly touching, as several years ago Dhaetode had lost his father to renal failure,” said Dr Atul Adaniya, assistant medical director, and in-charge for the transplant programme at Hurkissondas Hospital. “His brother told me that they had tried desperately to find a kidney for their father. And since they understood the trauma of a kidney failure patient they were willing to donate Dhaetode’s kidneys.”

Now, Raikar’s entire family wants to donate their organs. “We now plan to pledge to donate all our organs so that needy patients like my sister can benefit through us,” said Raikar’s brother Yogesh Pawar.

“My sister has two young children. She had to undergo regular dialysis which cost about Rs20,000 per month. She had frequent complaints of fever, shivering high blood pressure,” Pawar said.
Sanjay Dhaetode, 39, who worked in a clothes shop, was rushed to Hurkissondas Hospital on Thursday evening after he vomited and lost consciousness. Dhaetode battled for his life for four days, but succumbed to intracranial bleeding caused by hypertension.

“Counsellors approached the family and told them that Dhaetode was brain dead and that they had the option of helping others if they gave their consent for organ donation. The family immediately agreed,” said Dr PM Bhujang, medical director of the hospital.

“Raikar is lucky as not many patients with kidney failure survive and are fit enough to undergo a transplant. Most of the time, patients are too exhausted physically as well as financially to afford a transplant,” said Dr Adaniya.