BERHAMPUR: A woman who gave a fresh lease of life to her 17-year-old son by donating one of her kidneys, on Sunday requested Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to provide her financial help on the occasion of Mother’s Day.
In her plea to the chief minister, 43-year-old S Sarada of Jaydurga Nagar at Engineering School chowk in Berhampur said she and her son, S Sai Biswanath (17), were surviving on one kidney each, and were unable to meet their medical expenses.
Biswanath was diagnosed with severe kidney damage at the age of 15 in 2023, with 95 per cent of his kidneys being non-functional. Despite being a petty trader with limited income, his father S Sai Gopal spared no effort to ensure that his son received proper medical care. Biswanath was treated at a private hospital in Visakhapatnam.
The doctors advised a transplant as the only viable option, prompting the parents to volunteer as potential donors. After necessary tests, Sarada’s kidney was found to be compatible.
Biswanath underwent dialysis for three months before the transplant was successfully performed in February 2024, with doctors removing Sarada’s left kidney for the procedure. Now, both Sarada and Biswanath are recovering well but require lifelong medication and monitoring.
The treatment, however, exhausted the family’s financial resources. After Gopal appealed to the Ganjam administration for assistance, collector Dibya Jyoti Parida sanctioned Rs 30,000 from the district Red Cross Fund in 2024. The family also appealed to the President, the prime minister and local MLA for help.
In view of the hefty monthly medical expenses, Gopal and Sarada have renewed their appeal for sustained government support. They said several other states provide monthly assistance of Rs 10,000 for kidney patients and urged the Odisha government to adopt a similar policy to help families like theirs survive.