Trichy road accident victim’s heart gives new lease of life to Srinagar woman

CHENNAI: Shahzadi Fathima, 33, will return to her home in Srinagar without fear of discomfort or tightness in her chest. The heart of a teen from Trichy will pump to keep her alive.
Fathima first met doctors at MGM Healthcare three years ago for treatment of heart failure. While medicines prescribed to her by senior cardiologist Dr R Ravikumar relieved her of her symptoms initially, her condition, restrictive cardiomyopathy, worsened over time.Doctors said her heart stiffened over time leading to severe heart failure.
In November 2021, doctors in the hospital asked her to come to Chennai. “We were put on the waiting list for a transplant,” said her brother Yunis. “We came to Chennai with hope. We will be returning with fulfilment,” he said.
After they arrived in Chennai, an NGO that finances heart surgeries and transplants for children helped Fathima raise funds. “On January 26, we received a call about a donor from a hospital in Trichy. An 18-year-old boy lost his life in a road accident, and his family was willing to donate his organs,” cardiac anaesthetist K. Suresh Rao.
The heart was harvested and flown to Chennai as Fathima was being prepared for transplant. “The surgery went well, and her condition is improving now,” said senior cardiac surgeon Dr K R Balakrishnan, who is hoping to discharge her by mid-March.
Fathima will be on immune suppressants and other medications. “We will continue to monitor her for six months virtually. By September, she will come back to Chennai for a review,” he said.