Mumbai: A 67-year-old Spanish woman has given a fresh lease of life to four Indians and a Lebanese national.
Ms Teresa Maria Fernandez, who became the second cadaver donor this year, was with a group of tourists in Mumbai on January 5 when she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that caused severe bleeding in her brain. She was rushed to Jaslok Hospital, which informed her family and the embassy.
Ms Fernandez was kept on life support but an apnea test done at 9.55 pm on January 11 showed that she was brain dead. “She was operated upon but her condition didn’t improve and she was declared brain dead. Once the brain-dead status was confirmed, both her son and daughter told us they wanted to donate her organs as that was her wish,” said Dr Azad Irani, a neurologist at the hospital.
The patient’s family agreed to donate her heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and bones.
Ms Fernandez’s lung, liver and kidneys were given to Indian patients who were on the waiting list, in line with the norms of the Regional cum State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO-SOTTO). Her heart was given to a Lebanese national. The tissues, bones, and tendons were also donated.
The recipient of her liver, a 54-year-old general practitioner from Mumbai, had developed liver cirrhosis in 2019 after a hysterectomy,said Dr Chetan Kalal, programme director, hepatology and transplant medicine at Nanavati Max Hospital, who spearheaded the transplant team.
“The woman developed fatty liverbecause of obesity and diabetes, which led to acute and chronic liver failure in 2019 with ascites and renal involvement. She responded well to medical management but couldn’t undergo a transplant because of the absence of a suitable donor. In the past two months, her health had started deteriorating,” said Dr Kalal.
The surgery was successful and the recipient is responding well to the treatment. “We must express our immense gratitude towards the donor family for taking such a courageous step,”said Dr Kalal.
