51-yr-old Sattari man donates his kidney to save 21-yr-old son’s life

Panaji: Shrikant Gaonkar, 51, from Sattari, recently gave a new lease of life to his son Somdatta, 21, by donating him a kidney. Somdatta, a second year student of Institute of Nursing, Bambolim, had to undergo dialysis thrice a week after he was diagnosed with stage 5 - CKD. The youth had no symptoms of the disease and was a hale and hearty child, his father said.
Both donor nephrectomy (kidney removal) and the kidney transplant surgery were conducted on June 29 at GMC by the departments of nephrology, urology and anaesthesia under Dr J P Tiwari, Dr Madhumohan Prabhudessai and Dr Shirley De Souza.
“The operation which lasted approximately six hours has shown excellent results. The patient’s kidney began functioning from the very first day and both father and son are on a full diet and recovering well. The procedure was performed entirely free of cost alleviating any financial burden on the family,” GMC dean Dr S Bandekar said.
“GMC is among the very few govt hospitals to have its own in-house HLA immunology lab where one can get information within a few hours whether the allocated kidney matches the prospective recipient. This HLA crossmatch is crucial for transplant success,” said State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), Goa, joint director Dr Preeti Varghese.
Somdatta and his father have been moved to the transplant ward for intensive monitoring and treatment.
“Our dedicated medical team is taking every necessary measure to ensure their well-being and recovery. This successful transplant not only brings hope to their family, but also highlights the incredible impact of organ donation. I urge everyone to consider the noble act of organ donation. By choosing to donate, you can save lives and give many others the chance to lead healthy and fulfilling lives,” health minister Vishwajit Rane said.
There are 64 patients on the waiting list for kidneys, Varghese said.
“Somdatta was extremely fortunate that his father stepped up to be a donor and saved his son’s life. But not all are as fortunate as Somdatta to have a family member come forward and donate an organ. This is primarily the reason we have to say yes to organ donation upon brain death,” she said.
“One yes can give life to eight people through organ donation,” she added.
Bandekar said the joint transplant clinic under the department of nephrology was set up to facilitate the evaluation of prospective recipients and their donors.
“The joint transplant clinic is open every Tuesday afternoon and all relevant departments that give fitness and clearance and are also available on the same day,” he said.