Times of India
20 March 2009
By Dipti Barve

Here is a story of two couples’ karma bound by two kidneys
We have heard of marriages being made in heaven. Now comes an unusual case of kidney–swap transplant at Jehangir Hospital, which seems like the sheer work of destiny. This case is the first–of–its–kind in Pune.

“How lucky they are, can be seen from the fact that not only did they have the same blood groups, but even matching tissues, which is not so easily found among unrelated transplants,” says their consulting nephrologist, Dr Shriniwas Ambike.

Sanjay Shinde, who is 42, was on dialysis for two years. He received a kidney from the wife of Ramdas Pawar, who is 47. Sanjay’s wife, in return, donated her kidney to Ramdas, whose kidney had failed a year ago.

God has sent an angel for me. My wife has pulled me back from heaven’s door. She has saved my life like Savitri – Sanjay Shinde

The two brave women, who donated their kidneys to each others’ husbands are 33–yearold Sunita Shinde from Satara and Manda Pawar from Hadapsar, Pune, who is 38.

Shinde is a policeman by profession. He has no parents and none of his family members were suitable donors.

Ramdas Pawar is a head clerk with the Maharashtra State Probation and After–Care Association. He grew up in an orphanage and did not have a suitable donor among his kin. While both their wives were willing to donate their kidneys, their blood groups did not match their respective husbands’ blood groups. But as destiny had other plans.

The two families met and came close to each other in Jehangir Hospital where their husbands were undergoing dialysis. At the hospital, they realised that they were compatible donors for the other’s husbands.

The solution was clear – a kidney swap.

Dr. Shriniwas Ambike, their nephrologist, was aware of a similar case in Mumbai.

Fortunately, both ladies were medically fit. However, getting permission from the authorities for unrelated donors is not easy because of the stringent rules that have to be followed. The hospital authorities decided that the case merited a special effort and pulled out all stops to get the transplant permission for which, there was great support from the local authoritization committee at Sassoon.

Accordingly, the transplants, which included four separate surgeries, were carried out successfully a fortnight ago and all patients will be discharged today.

All the four surgeries, i.e two kidneys harvested from the wives and two transplants on their husbands, were done together for which four surgical teams were made.

A team of doctors, that involved Dr. Shriniwas Ambike Dr. Deepak Kirpekar, Dr. Dhanesh Kamerkar, Dr. Sanjay Kulkarni, Dr. Nitin Gadgil, Dr. Ketan Pai, Dr Sudhir Phadke, Dr. Meera Santosh and Dr. Archana Jana performed these transplant processes successfully.

“God has sent an angel for me. My wife has pulled me back from heaven’s door. She has saved my life like Savitri. Today, I am really feeling relieved and satisfied that I got a brother and sister in Mr and Mrs Pawar. Jehangir hospital’s staff hepled us a lot at every stage of this transplant” says Sanjay Shinde.

“When I came know about the matching of kidneys, I decided to take the initiative in this whole process. I did not even think about my relatives’ reactions who think that donating kidneys will create problems for donors.”

“I just came forward to save my husband’s life,” said Sunita Shinde.

“I decided to move on when both the kidney groups matched. I did not even think of my 18–year–old son who is mentally challenged. We somehow gathered the money and got help from the Ratan Tata trust and other trusts.

“I have faith in God and doctors who would show us the right way. For me, my husband’s life is the most important thing and I did whatever was possible for me,” said Manda Pawar who donated her kidney to Sanjay Shinde.

“I have found family members in Mr. and Mrs. Shinde. I never thought I would find my own in this way. People suffering from similar problems should interact with those in need and God–willing, even they may find such solutions,” said an emotionally moved Pawar.