'My father will start a new life': Son of hand transplant patient thanks donor's family

New Delhi: "My father will now start a new life," said the son of a painter who underwent a rare bilateral hand transplant at a private hospital in the national capital in January.

The family of the 45-year-old painter, Raj Kumar, is grateful to late Meena Mehta, an educator who passed away in January this year and whose dying wish was that her organs be donated.

On Thursday, the families of the donor and the receiver met at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where the transplant took place, to share their gratitude to each other.

Thanking Mehta's family during the meeting, Kumar's son said, "I thank everyone today and cannot express what I have received. We never thought we would see this day."

"We are thankful to the donor's family. It is because of them that my father will now start a new life," he added.

Kumar, in January, became the first patient in Delhi to undergo a bilateral hand transplant.

A resident of Nangloi, the painter met with the accident in October 2020 when he was crossing the railway tracks near his house on his bicycle and was run over by a train.

He lost his upper limbs in the accident. Kumar became dependent on others for his day-to-day activities, said Dr Mahesh Mangal, chairman of the Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery at the hospital.

In October last year, Mehta, a retired vice-principal of New Green Field School in Kalkaji here, had expressed a wish to donate her organs after her death, her sister Lalita Grover told PTI.

"I am a proud sister. She (Mehta) was quite brave. I'm so happy to see that her hands are still working. She must be very happy as she always wanted to do this," she said in an emotional tone.

Grover said she was happy that Kumar will be able to start life afresh because of the transplant with her sisters' hands.

Fondly remembering her sister, Grover said, "Meena was always like this, thinking about others. In October, she expressed her desire to us that she wants to donate her organs to those in need. Three months later, in January, she took her last breath."

Mehta was declared brain dead in January this year, following which we asked the hospital authorities to harvest her organs, Dr Mangal said.

Her organs, including her kidneys, liver, cornea and hands were harvested, he added.

"We are happy that we have succeeded in the surgery. The short time limit is a significant challenge in this process. We had approximately four to five hours to detach and reattach the hands," Mangal said.

"Before the surgery, Kumar's only options were either the use of prosthetics or hand transplant. He began using prosthetics but his prosthetic trail was unsuccessful and his only hope was a hand transplant," he said.

But at that time, no centre in north India had the permission to perform a hand transplant.

In February last year, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, became the first hospital in north India to receive permission to perform hand transplant, said Mangal.

"When we were looking for potential candidates for hand transplant, Kumar was on our waiting list. As per transplant protocols, detailed examination and necessary investigations were done. In third week of January, a glimmer of optimism emerged for Raj Kumar when he got a call from the hospital," the doctor said.

On January 19, a team of surgeons collaborated to execute the intricate procedure, delicately reattaching various components - bones, arteries, veins, tendons, muscles, nerves, and skin, he added.