Bangalore:  In a heartwarming gesture, a young unmarried 26-year-old girl from Bangladesh donated one of her kidneys to her ailing mother who was suffering from End Stage Kidney Disease. Going against the societal norms and after cancelling engagement with her fiancé who opposed her decision, the brave girl has set great precedence and sent out a strong message of courage and grit.

Dr. Sanakran Sundar the treating Nephrologist at Manipal Hospitals came across the donor, the daughter of the Ms.Shika Rani he was in great dilemma as the girl was just 26year old and unmarried as well. After multiple counselling sessions to the girl, her decision to be the donor was finally accepted after seeing her determination and will power.

Sharing his thoughts after the success of kidney transplant, Dr. Sanakran Sundar, Nephrologist, Manipal Hospitals said, “This is a very rare case as it is uncommon for women to be the recipient, while on the other hand they outnumber men when it comes to donating organs.  Normally, we discourage unmarried young women to donate organs as this may or may not hamper their future depending on their health conditions. However, this case was an exception. We were surprised to see a strong willed young girl who was determined to save her mother at any cost. I congratulate the parents for their daughter’s brave and nobel gesture as she has set an example for everyone and has clearly come out as a real winner.”

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals said, “Unfortunately there are serious concerns and bias in our society towards unmarried women becoming a donor despite the fact that it is not medically contraindicated.  There is a huge gender disparity towards women recipients. Even when a married woman decides to become a live donor, families often have objections, as there are some myths associated with organ donation. Many people do believe that it may lead to infertility. This young girl has taken a very strong stand for her mother and we all must congratulate her courage to go ahead and save her mother’s life. We are definitely proud of her and wish the very best for the family.”

Expressing his happiness father said, “We are really lucky to have a daughter like her. She has sacrificed her happiness and given new lease of life to her mother. Both of them are doing well and we are ready to start a fresh life in our country”.

Until last year, the rate of organ donation in India used to be 0.5 per million population, but today it has climbed up to 0.8, which is steady progress. Despite the above, we are still far away from other countries like Spain, USA, China, Germany, Australia and Brazil who are way ahead when it comes to organ donation.