MEERUT, February 4: A Muslim rickshaw-puller has donated his kidney to a three-year-old Hindu girl baby with severely impaired renal function who desperately needs a kidney transplant.
Anwar Khan(39), says he was moved by the plight of little Vibhuti when he heard that her parents had exhausted all their savings in her treatment and had been forced to ask the district administration for help. “I thought that I have already spent 39 years of my life while she has just started. So I must help her,” was his matter-of-fact explanation on why he came forward with his offer.
As for the child belonging to a different faith, he says he never gave the issue much consideration. “She is simply a sinless soul who needs help. What has faith got to do with it?”
Incidentally, Khan says he does not want any monetary compensation for his offer. “I come from a family that used to be quite well-off. However, we lost everything due to family problems. I have seen that money never remains stationary. It keeps moving from one hand to another, so why run after it?”
The rickshaw-puller’s offer, meanwhile, has infused fresh hope in the child’s family. “Anwar has been a godsend for us since doctors recently told us that Vibhuti needs to be put on dialysis soon,” said Ritu Verma, the child’s mother.
However, there’s still a long way to go before Khan’s offer can be realized. Doctors are yet to certify him as a suitable match for the child’s blood group. Also, as per the provisions of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, an organ can be transplanted from a donor, who is not related to the patient, only after an affidavit is filed in the court of a magistrate, and an organ authorization committee is satisfied that there has been no monetary exchange between the donor and the recipient.
Khan says he is prepared to go through all the formalities. “I know what it feels to lose a child,” he says. “Eighteen years ago, my wife had given birth to twins, however we lost both of them – one was still-born while the other one survived for just 48 days.”
As for how he will earn his living if the transplant goes through, the rickshaw-puller is philosophical. “I am not much of an educated man but I know that a man can survive with just one kidney. God has provided for my needs earlier and will do so again. The important thing is that the girl needs to be saved.”
Khan is now a divorcee and lives with his widowed sister in the Kankerkhera area. He is the only earning member of the house. When asked how will he financially sustain himself after kidney operation, as he would not be able to pull a rickshaw, he said, “God has provided for my needs earlier and will do so again. I cannot let this precious time go waste in thinking what will happen to me in future. The girl needs to be saved. Regarding future, no one can predict it so why worry thinking about it.”
The first time, Ritu came to know of her daughter’s disease was one-and-a-half years ago in May 2013 when she stopped digesting milk. Medical investigations revealed renal dysfunction. At that time, one kidney was 40% functional while the other one was 60% functional. Ritu and her husband Rohit wouldn’t believe it and went for a second opinion.
Ever since, the couple has visited almost all major hospitals in Delhi, like Apollo, Batra, Lok Nayak and even AIIMS. Currently, the treatment is taking place under the observation of Sir Gangaram Hospital’s doctors. Earlier, the family would approach private clinics and labs for investigations but gradually, their savings began to wane and then they depended on government hospitals. Her husband Rohit Verma too lost his job because of frequent absenteeism.
Said Ritu, “Till now we have already spent over Rs 5 lakhs on her treatment. Every month we have to arrange for her medicines that cost close to Rs 8,000. I have lost all my jewellery and valuables. Meanwhile, district magistrate Pankaj Yadav has sent a proposal to the UP Government, of Rs 5 lakhs to be granted to the child’s parents. At the same time an NGO, Mansi Foundation, is helping her get a BPL card so that the child’s operation can be conducted in the AIIMS for free.
