DEHRADUN: At a time of widening gulf between faiths, Sushma Uniyal (48) and Sultana Khatoon (46) came together to save each other's husband's life.
Setting an example both agreed to donate their kidneys for each other's spouse. The transplant has been successful last week and the receivers -- Ashraf Ali (51) and Vikas Uniyal (50) are doing fine.
The husbands of both women were on dialysis and required kidney donation. After much inquiry and search donors were found.
Sushma Uniyal, the wife of Vikas Uniyal, said, "I can't express my gratitude in words. I am thankful beyond anything to Sultana Khatoon and her family. We decided to help each other and here we are, two happy families."
Sultana Khatoon, whose husband received a kidney from Sushma Uniyal said, "Sushma ji has become my soul sister. The bond of humanity is stronger than any relation in this world. I thank Sushma ji and her family for saving the life of my husband."
Uniyal further said her husband's kidneys were adversely affected to the extent that he was on hemodialysis for more than two years now.
"Doctors recommended kidney transplant but we were not able to find a match among family members and relatives including me. Then doctors from the Himalayan hospital told us about Ashraf Ali who also needed a transplant. We went through the paperwork and decided to help each other," says Uniyal.
A team of doctors has been monitoring both men who are now stable and doing fine in a hospital in Rishikesh.
Senior urologist Dr Kim J Momin, whose team performed the transplant, said: "Both the transplants have been successful and the teams are monitoring their health."
Members of the civil society appraised the gesture of both the families.
Anno Nautiyal, a Dehradun-based activist and think tank, said, "This is an incredible example of our culture, values and the code we have lived by since times immemorial. Helping each other in a time of need, saving a life of a fellow citizen is the supreme contribution one can make. We all should take a cue from both these great women."