70-Year-Old Mumbai Woman Saves Daughter-In-Law By Donating Kidney

A 70-year-old woman in Mumbai donated a kidney to her 43-year-old daughter-in-law earlier this month, setting an example at a time when several incidents of 'saas-bahu' rivalry have hit the headlines.

The transplant surgery was conducted at Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital on August 1. Ameesha's kidneys were damaged after she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease last year.

While Ameesha is recovering at the hospital, her mother-in-law, Prabha Kantilal Mota, returned home to a rousing reception organised by her family.

Prabha Kantilal Mota said she decided to "gift" a kidney to her daughter-in-law because she couldn't see her suffering. "My three sons were scared about me. I said I am perfectly fit, I will give it. I will ask PM Narendra Modi to call on people to come forward to become donors," Ms Mota said.

"I look at her as my daughter, not daughter-in-law," she said.

Jitesh Mota, Ameesha's husband who is a diabetic and not eligible to donate, said he wanted to save his wife's life, but was also worried about her mother's health. "The doctor said there was a waiting period of more than eight years for the donor. My mother then said that she would give the kidney," Mr Mota said.

Dr Chandrakant Lallan, the family doctor of the Motas, said he has never come across such donation in 44 years of his career as a doctor. "Most organ donors in India are women who donate these organs to their spouses, parents, or children. But a mother-in-law donating her kidney to her daughter-in-law is rare," Dr Lallan said.