72-year-old grandmom gives kidney to grandson at Jehangir Hospital

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12-year-old Sahil Bhundere was always a child with troubles in his life. Diagnosed with kidney failure when he was 11 months, he has been in and out of hospitals for all his life. Recently, his grandmother gave a new lease of life to him by donating her kidney to him.

For the past 12 years, Sahil had been suffering from ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) and had been on CAPD (Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis) for the last six years. This resident of Kalyan has a tough childhood and has undergone many surgeries in the last 5 years.

Dr Manoj Matnani, pediatric nephrologist, who had been consulting him, said, "He underwent 4-5 surgeries in the last 7 years as we tried to rectify his issues step by step. He had early mineral bone disease, and his growth/bones were stunted. We also tried to deal with the CAPD through surgeries by inserting a catheter etc. This helped him gain 8cms in height. Finally, we had to move towards a kidney transplant."

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What was heartening was how his paternal grandmother came forward to donate her kidney.

"She is 72 years old but in great health with no diabetes and heart issues. Usually, the limit for such donations is restricted to 60 -65 years old only. The parents were also keen to come to Pune as Dr Matnani had been consulting on this case. He lives in Kalyan and regarding access to a hospital in Pune vs South Mumbai, he picked Pune due to easy travel and health costs."

Also Read: 13 lesser known facts about Kidneys you did not know

The surgery took around four hours with the team consisting of Dr Deepak Kirpekar, Dr Yogesh Sohoni, Dr Nitin Gadgil, Dr Pai, Dr Dhanesh Karmerkar, Dr Nupur Bischt, Dr Archana Jana and Dr Kanhe. "Since the grandmother was 72 years old, we had to work on controlling the BP and also manage the blood vessels as it was an adult's kidney being given to child."

Santosh Bhundere, his father who works as a hawaldar in Kalyan said, "We couldn't keep him on dialysis forever. Luckily my mother was a match and also got a clean chit health-wise. Both mother and son are fine and have been discharged. It's a relief to see him well and he's also gained some weight and height."

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