Two get new life in country’s first kidney transplant from brain-dead

Doctors view organ donation as a gift of new life, and the passing of 20-year-old Sarah proves that. Despite her death, her gift of organ donation has brought new life to two kidney patients and two optical patients in the country's first cadaveric kidney transplant – the process of transplanting kidneys from a brain-dead person.

After the transplant milestone on Thursday, doctors at a press briefing said Sarah's life may have been brief, but it will forever be remembered for the impact it had on others.

They said the recipients of the kidneys – Hasina Akter and Shamina Akter – were recovering well at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMU) and the National Kidney Foundation in the capital.

Doctors said they began the separate surgeries after the donor Sarah Islam died on Wednesday night. A team of surgeons led by Dr AKM Khurshid Alam conducted the transplant at Kidney Foundation, while Dr Habibur Rahman supervised the transplant at the BSMMU.

Sarah Islam was diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis, a rare genetic disease, when she was only 10 months old. She recently underwent a brain surgery at a private hospital and subsequently was admitted to the ICU of BSMMU as her condition deteriorated.

Sarah's mother Shabnam Sultana, who was present at Thursday's press briefing at BSMMU, said her daughter suffered a lot. "When she was a kid, everyone was afraid to see the tumours on her face. She often cried a lot after returning from school as other kids refused to sit next to her at classes."

Sarah fought the disease for almost 19 years. Even with the ailment, she passed her Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) with flying colours and got admitted to the Fine Arts Department at University of Development Alternative (UDA). She was a first-year student at the university.

"She was truly a gifted child," said Shabnam Sultana. The mother said Sarah was aware that she would not live long. At her sickbed, Sarah said she wanted to donate her organs after death.

Prof Habibur Rahman Dulal said the BSMMU will propose to the government to give her a posthumous award to commemorate her contribution.

"Besides, we are making a plaque for the cadaveric cell at BSMMU named after Sarah. It has been decided that Sarah's parents will be invited to all functions of BSMMU, and the family members will get lifetime free treatment here," he said at the media briefing.

In Bangladesh, around 2 crore people are suffering from kidney diseases and many of them die without receiving a transplant due to a lack of donors. Experts now call on the relatives of the brain-dead to come forward and save the lives of those in need.

According to the Vice-Chancellor of BSMMU and President of the National Cadaveric Committee, Md Sharfuddin Ahmed, organs such as kidneys, hearts, lungs, livers, pancreases, and esophagi can be transplanted after a person is declared brain-dead. The Cadaveric National Committee works to guide, monitor, and advise on such organ transplantations.

"Before Sarah, we failed to convince a number of such cases for organ donations. But we continued the effort and succeeded eventually," he added.

BSMMU Cadaveric Cell chief Professor Habibur Rahman Dulal called for shaping awareness and removing prejudices and misconceptions among the population regarding organ donation.

According to the Human Organ Transplantation Act, kidneys of close relatives including parents, children, siblings, spouses, and extended family members such as grandparents, aunts, and cousins can be collected for transplant.

The first kidney transplant in Bangladesh was performed in 1982, and around 3,500 transplants have been conducted so far. But doctors estimate that the country requires at least 5,000 kidney transplants per year.