Chennai: Shahid Arashad, 13, from a poor family in Pudukottai, survived fatal liver collapse, thanks to the benevolence of a surgeon and his hospital, but is now unsure of survival as the cost of post-operative maintenance of his transplanted organ is prohibitively expensive.
The son of a hotel worker, he was brought to the Fortis Hospital in Bengaluru in an unconscious state due to the rare Wilson’s Disease that leads to rapid liver failure and requires quick transplant to save life. First taken to the CMC Hospital in Vellore, he was referred to Fortis due to lack of donors at CMC.
Shahid’s father Shahul Hameed was distraught at the boy’s condition, particularly since he had lost his wife and brother-in-law to the same Wilson’s Disease.
He had exhausted all his resources and even sold the small property for settling the debts. “I did not know what to do. It was almost like my boy was going the same way as my wife and brother-in-law”, recalled Shahul. According to director of Centre of Hepatobilary Sciences and Liver Transplant, Dr Kapali Neelamekam, the child suffers from an inherited copper metabolism disease, which is known to have sudden and rapid liver failure.
“Only a liver transplant can help to save the child who was already in a state of drowsiness, we had to act immediately and listed him for transplant of the liver. We started on plasmapheresis, an exchange transfusion using human albumin to bring down his deranged function. After the patient was brought to the hospital with deranged liver function test on October 9, we received a matching liver from a cadaver on 12th October. We performed the transplant and Shahid is recovering now, but he will be on follow up treatment and check up for at least three months,” he added.
Though the transplant has been completed with aid from the hospital authorities that provided clearance for a nearly free treatment for the child, Shahid’s father is at lack of resources to provide follow up treatment required for his son.
“The total cost of the surgery was Rs 30 lakh, but the hospital authorities had given high priority to my son and operated with only partial fees. But after having spent every single penny possessed, I fear not being able to bear the follow up treatment and medication charges that will cost around ' 5 lakh” said Shahul Hameed, fighting back tears.
