Sanjay Kandasamy, India's First Child to Get a Liver Transplant Grows Up to Become a Doctor, Will Join Same Hospital in Delhi That Treated Him
It's an inspiring tale of life coming full circle for Sanjay Kandasamy, India's first child to have received a liver transplant. 23-year-old Sanjay is now all set to join the medical field and start working at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi. He made history after he underwent the country’s first paediatric liver transplant as a 20-month child back in 1998.
Sanjay Kandasamy, the boy who braved a rare disease and made history as India's first child liver transplant, is all set to contribute back to society. Life comes a full circle for Kandasamy who is now all set to join as a doctor in the same hospital that treated him as a baby. In 1998 Sanjay Kandasamy became India's first child to have received a liver transplant when he was just 20-months old. As we brace with the pandemic situation for over 9 months, all of us have realised the significant role doctors and health workers play in our society. The 23-year-old is about to join the medical field and start working at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi. He will be joining as a doctor in the same hospital that did his transplant surgery. Amid Lockdown, 19-month-old Boy Undergoes Liver Transplant at Delhi Hospital.
As per report in Hindustan Times, Sanjay Kandasamy from Tamil Nadu was born with a rare condition called Biliary Atresia. It leads to liver failure among newborns due to a blockage in ducts carrying bile to the gallbladder. His father had donated 20% of his liver for the transplant surgery. He underwent the liver transplant at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital and is now all set to join the same but as a medical professional. Sanjay told HT report, "This has been my ambition since childhood. I’m alive today because of the efforts of my doctors. I want to take up this noble profession to save lives. Initially, I wanted to be a surgeon, but later I realised that my interest lies in paediatrics." He wants to focus on neonatology. Maharashtra’s First Heart and Liver Transplant in a Single Surgery: Boy’s Life Saved by a Rare Organ Donation.
Dr AS Soin performed the critical surgery along with Dr MR Rajasekhar at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. Dr Soin who is now chairman, institute of liver transplantation and regenerative medicine, Medanta Hospital, Gurugram, remembered the time when they had to work continuously to treat Sanjay in his critical condition. "I remember he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for about two months. We practically lived in the hospital for those two months to get him out of ICU," he was quoted. Liver Transplant: Real Medical Stories That Show Not All Liver Failures Require a Transplant.
Check Dr Soin's Tweet About Sanjay Kandasamy:
Talking about his feat, Dr Anupam Sibal who treated Sanjay in 1998 said, "He was the first child in India to have successfully undergone a liver transplant. It has been 22 years since he underwent the surgical procedure. He is a classic example of long-term smooth survival after undergoing a liver transplant surgery." Sanjay is not only a classic example of survival but also a great one of life coming full circle for him. It also gives hope for the long-term and smooth survival of children who have to undergo a liver transplant. Sanjay Kandasamy's achievements will also help to save more lives of babies in the future. He will start working from April 2021. Kudos to him and the team of doctors!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 19, 2020 11:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).