Heartwarming tale of transplants

For 18-year-old Jayanth Rao who under heart transplant, it is nothing but a blessing.

 Though the youngster knows nothing about the donor, he cannot stop thanking the person.

Many youngsters like him, for whom life has changed to the better after undergoing heart transplant, spoke at a press conference organised by Narayana Health in the City on Thursday.

“Neither was I able to walk for a few steps nor was I able to do my daily chores with ease. Now, I travel one-and-a-half hours to reach my college with ease. This, thanks to the transplant,” Jayanth Rao added. “I would be ever greatful to the donor,” he said.

The teen, who hails from KGF, is presently pursuing his engineering. “For me, the donor is still present with us. It is great that the family took such a move. My life has changed to the better now,” he added.

Among the patients was 17-year-old Jasan Sangma, a patient from Manipur. The teenager who earlier suffered from Arrthymogenic Right Vascular Dysplasia, is now doing well after the transplant.

Sangma’s mother who had accompanied was overwhelmed and said “I wish good for the donor’s family. I have to thank the team of doctors who worked day in and out and also ZCCK who came as angels,” she added.

Narayana Health’s Transplant Cardiologist Dr Bhagirath Raghuraman said the success rate in the heart transplants, over a period of five years, had gone up to 81 per cent.

Younger the better, he said adding “In case of children or youths it has a remarkable impact on the longevity and quality of their life. They can resume a normal life, go to school, play sports and do everything like any other kid. Some of successful transplants have been done on children as young as 15 years in Bangalore who have grown to be healthy individuals perusing their dreams and careers.”

He also said that if the ‘Heart in the Box,’ an equipment that could keep the heart beating even outside the body, can be brought to the Country it would make a lot of difference. “With this new technology, that is already there in the US, the heart keeps beating as a result of which the organ can last for long without much damage to the muscle,” Dr Raghuraman added.

Currently, Narayana Health is the lone hospital in the City that can perform heart transplant. It has 22 patients on the waiting list, for receiving a heart, out of which two are paediatric patients.