When Granny’s Blessings of a Healthy Liver Saves a Nine Month Toddler

Parents and Grand Parents are always full of blessings for their little ones. They also ensure by their words and deeds that their little angels are protected and healthy. Fortis Hospital Mulund recently witnessed one such incident, when a nine-month the baby has transplanted a part of the liver from that of his 42 years old Grandmother.

Piyush, the baby boy was the apple of the eye of the Kundu Family hailing from Raipur. The family’s world almost collapsed when the baby was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia - a childhood liver disease marked with scarred or Blocked bile ducts. Though being taken to various hospitals, repeatedly confirmed the diagnosis and the only option that was told to them was a “Liver Transplant.” This compelled the Kundu's to come down to Mumbai.

Liver Transplant cost in India for Kundu's had to fetch Rs 15 lakh which they had collected entirely from crowdfunding and donations. “It was soon after birth that Piyush was diagnosed with Jaundice. The list of the tests that we carried out is very long. It was during the treatment that we were informed that the baby’s disease was Biliary Atresia.” Recalls Deepa Kundu Piyush’s mother and a homemaker. She also shared how the family had travelled to Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka for treatment and was eventually told about the liver transplant being the only option.

The Kundu’s search for the best surgeon ended with their appointment with Dr Swapnil Sharma working with Fortis Hospital Mumbai and who travels to Raipur to see and treat patients. “It was his suggestion that we perform the transplant at Fortis Hospital Mumbai and they would also help in raising the money.” Mrs Kundu said who travelled to Mumbai with her mother and sister.
On examining the patient and evaluating his health status, the doctors realised that along with severe jaundice, the baby also had a chest infection. “Baby Piyush was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. The Grandmother of the patient, Lakshmi Sarkar was found to be a perfect match and she readily agreed to donate part of her liver for saving her Grandchild.” Dr Sharma shared the details of treatment.

Carried out on September 10^th, the transplant was a complicated surgery as the patient weighed only 5.5 kg. The transplant Surgeon, Dr Gaurav Gupta said that in babies weighing less than 10 kgs, the surgery is complicated and recovery is slow. He also shared that, only 20 to 30 % of Grandmother’s liver was transplanted to the baby.

Fortis Hospital witnessed an invisible eternal bond between grandparents and grandchildren on Friday while discharging a healthy Piyush.


Reference Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/grandmother-donates-part-of-liver-to-save-9-month-old-boy/article29858187.ece

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Blocked Bile Duct Surgery- The Safest Surgical Procedure for an Infant

Hello everyone! I am Patricia, an IT professional from Australia. Being married for nearly five years, I was unable to conceive. The various doctors I consulted could not trace the exact reasons for it. But my baby “Karishma”, she came in my life as a miracle and filled my life with bliss and happiness. But my joy was short-lived as my baby angel suffered from jaundice just after two to three weeks of her birth. Getting her treated by the best pediatrician, made me all the more cautious about her health and I started to be a little extra careful with Karishma. But all my efforts turned fruitless as my baby doll started to suffer from jaundice recurrently and she showed very poor weight gain. Also, I noticed that her urine was dark-colored and her stools were clay-colored.

Anxious I reached my pediatrician’s clinic and described the symptoms in great detail. I wanted the doctor to do a thorough examination of my baby doll and ensure that she will be alright. The doctor patiently listened to me and advised me to undergo some tests along with the physical examination of my baby. On examining the results, the doctor only turned more and more serious and started speaking in a firm voice “You know the liver is one of the most important organs of our body and it produces “Bile” – a yellowish-brown to greenish colored fluid whose primary function is to assist digestion especially of lipids in the small intestine. There is a small bag like an organ called the “Gall Bladder” which is situated near the liver. The bile though is continuously produced by the liver, is stored in the gall bladder and hence bile is also called by the name “Gall.” This bile is transported to various parts of the body like the intestines, kidneys, and stomach. If these ducts are absent altogether by birth or if they are very narrow or blocked due to inflammation this condition is called as “Biliary Atresia.”

“Can you explain in detail?” I asked the doctor with a partial understanding of the disease.

“Biliary Atresia is a condition occurring only in infants. which is children below the age of one year. I am afraid, your baby Karishma suffers from this condition. This is a progressive disease which is also known as progressive obliterative cholangiopathy and extrahepatic ductopenia. Since the bile is trapped in the liver, it causes damage to the liver in the form of scarring or liver cirrhosis eventually leading to liver failure. This causes other functional disturbances like issues with constriction of veins and causes difficulty in the supply of blood.”

“How can it be treated, doctor?” I asked a lot of apprehensions.

“If the disease is in the initial phase, it can be treated by medications and vitamin-rich diets. If medications cannot cure it, then surgical interventions are needed. I recommend surgery for Karishma.”

“S—u—rgery?” I said stammering with fear of complications.

“Don’t worry, the Kasai Procedure is the most convenient and standard treatment for Biliary Atresia. In this surgery, the blocked bile ducts are replaced with a part of the baby’s small intestine. This will restore the normal bile flow and improve the child’s condition. This is one of the safest surgical procedures.”

I started looking out for available options, but the huge costs and long waiting time made me look out for other options. As a part of my desperate search, I came across Forerunners Healthcare Consultant, the most visited and most trusted consultants for Kasai Procedure. I filled up the free consultation form and there was a timely response with a teleconsultation from the most experienced and skilled surgeons from India. I trusted them and reached India within a few days and had my baby doll operated for blocked bile ducts Treatment in India. My angel Karishma recovered after the surgery due to the best treatment that my baby received. I will always be indebted to Forerunners Healthcare for their best and affordable treatment which breathed a fresh new life in my baby.

Thanking You

Mrs. Patricia Coleman

Canberra, Australia

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