Getting a transplant is not so easy even today. And six-yearold Akshay had to wait for 10 months to get an organ as he was almost on the verge of death, suffering from a metabolic liver disorder. The only option was to undergo a liver transplantation. The parents of a deceased girl from Tiruchirapalli who had met with an accident, volunteered to donate the liver, and thus a new lease of life was given to him at the tender age of 14 months. Akshay's parents had registered his name at the Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka for Transplantation (ZCCK). They had an arduous wait hoping to get a liver and ultimately found a donor in Tiruchirapalli which was a perfect match. Dr Ashley and his team of doctors at Narayana Hrudalaya performed the surgery for more than 12 hours and Akshay recovered within one year. Recollecting the traumatic experience, his father Murali said, “When Akshay was five months old, he used to suffer from viral infections and the medicines given by the doctors was sustainable only for a week. Finally, the child was diagnosed with Tyrosinemia, an error of metabolism where the body cannot effectively break down the amino acid tyrosine resulting in improper functioning of liver and kidney. ” He further added, “We had lost all hopes but I am ever grateful to the parents of that girl in Tiruchirapalli who came forward to donate their deceased child's organ. Hats off to the surgical team of doctors at Narayana Hrudalaya who performed this difficult operation. It was indeed a great miracle." Akshay who has recovered now is studying at Vidya Vardhaka Sangha and is quite active, cheerful and doing well. He has to be on life long medication, says Dr Chetan who has been treating him since inception. He adds, “Akshay has absolutely no complications so far. With regular blood check-ups, scanning and continuous medication, he will lead a normal life.” Very silent but quite cheerful, Akshay said, “I am very much interested in sports, colouring, painting and watching television.”
ORGAN DONATION
Awareness about organ donation is very poor and the prevailing taboos is very high in Bangalore. So far, 50 transplants for children have been performed at Narayana Hrudayalaya with 70 per cent success rate. But many more are waiting because of lack of donors. "I have opened the present hospital so that more and more people come forward for voluntary donation," says Dr Chetan, Paediatric Intensivist at People Tree Hospitals.