KOCHI : Girish Kumar, a resident of Palakkad, was only 38 when he underwent a heart transplant surgery following dilated cardiomyopathy. He expected life to be kind to him after the surgery. However, things took a turn when he suffered a heart attack again after eight months.
“The first heart transplant surgery was performed in June 2013. As he was recovering after the surgery, his heart valve was damaged due to bacterial infection and he suffered a second heart attack. We informed him about the need for a second transplant, as there is a chance of recurrence of bacterial infection after valve replacement. Girish was courageous enough to say yes to heart re-transplant surgery and the country’s first heart re-transplant surgery was held on March 6, 2014,” said Dr Jose Chacko Periyapuram, senior consultant surgeon, department of cardiology, Lisie Hospital, Kochi.
Ten years after the procedure, the India Book of Records recognised the fighting spirit of Girish. He received the award from the representative of India Book of Records at Lisie Hospital on Wednesday. “Life after surgery is normal. Struggles like these remind us how valuable life is. Everyone, the family, doctors, nurses and friends, deserve this award. It is their care and support that helped me live this far,” said Girish, who is an employee of Bengaluru-based Wipro.