Indian heart donor gives new life to Pakistani teenager

ISLAMABAD: A 19-year-old Pakistani named Ayesha Rashan received a life-saving heart transplant surgery at MGM Healthcare in Chennai, thanks to the kindness of a donor from India.

Rashan, who is from Karachi, was struggling with a serious heart condition that ultimately resulted in heart failure, prompting her to travel to India in 2019.

As per an Indian news channel, Rashan dependent on ECMO life support due to her critical condition, underwent a successful heart transplant after experiencing valve leakage from his heart pump.

The procedure, estimated at over Rs 35 lacks, was fully sponsored by MGM Healthcare and the Chennai-based Aishwaryam Trust.

The Director of Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant Dr. KR Balakrishnan and Co-Director Dr. Suresh Rao responded quickly to Rashan’s urgent case and ensured immediate access to a heart transplant from a 69-year-old brain-dead donor from Delhi.

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Rashan and her mother Sanobar expressed their gratitude to the Indian government, they highlighted the lack of proper medical facilities in Pakistan. She revealed that Pakistani doctors had informed her about the non-availability of transplant facilities.

Ready to return to Pakistan, Rashan harbors aspirations to pursue a career in the fashion design.

The heartbreaking story echoes similar examples of cross-border medical support, such as former Pakistan field hockey goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed requesting a heart transplant in India in 2018, when pacemakers and stents caused complications.