This Article is From Feb 14, 2017

A New Heart, A New Lease Of Life

The heart she received was donated by the family of a 55-year-old man after he was declared brain dead. For the surgery, a green corridor was created and the heart was moved from a hospital in Gurgaon to Okhla in just 27 minutes.

Two years after the surgery, Oshin says, "I can run up the stairs... I can do all my work myself."

Jaipur: Oshin Goel, 24, can run up a flight of stairs today, something that was unimaginable for a young girl like her two years ago. At 18, Oshin was diagnosed with a hereditary heart disease called Restrictive Cardiomyopathy - a condition where the heart gradually grows bigger and its pumping capacity diminishes. She could not participate in school games like other girls her age and soon, was confined to her bed.  

"I wanted to die," she said. "I was so depressed that I asked my father to inject me with poison. "

Oshin's father, Dr RK Goel had registered her for a heart transplant at the Fortis-Escorts institute, but it was a long wait. They finally received a call two years back that would save her life. Oshin was 22 then.

Things then started moving fast.

"We were asked to bring her to the hospital in four hours and we rushed. I thought of nothing. I just left with my daughter" said Dr Goel.

The heart transplant surgery, which took over six hours, was carried out at the Fortis-Escorts hospital in Okhla. The heart she received was donated by the family of a 55-year-old man after he was declared brain dead. For the surgery, a green corridor was created and the heart was moved from a hospital in Gurgaon to Okhla in just 27 minutes.

Two years after the surgery, Oshin says with a slow smile, "I can run up the stairs... I can do all my work myself."

One organ donor can save up to 8 lives. Join the Pledge Your Heart campaign, which is an initiative in support of organ donation, urging people to take the pledge to donate their hearts this Valentine's Day.

 
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