Chennai traffic miracle: Heart transplant patient's mom grateful

"My heart goes out for the brave mother who agreed to donate the heart and other organs of her son (declared brain dead in an accident) despite her immense grief," Amaity Aspy Micochorhomji told IANS.

"Only a mother with a child suffering a terminal stage heart ailment can understand the stress and emotions of another mother who has lost her son," Micochorhomji said in a choked voice.

"We are indebted to Chennai and the mother whose son's heart gave a new lease of life to my daughter," she said.

The Mumbai-based Micochorhomji's daughter Hvovi Aspy underwent heart transplant operation Monday at the Fortis Malar Hospital here.

The heart harvested at the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital from a 27-year-old male road accident victim was transported to Fortis, around 13 km away, in around 13 minutes flat, thanks to the coordination of the doctors at both hospitals and the Chennai Traffic Police.

Speaking about her daughter's ailment, Micochorhomji, a former banker, said she was diagnosed with heart ailment while in the eighth standard.

"Since then she has led a restricted life. For us it was very hard. She is our only child. At the time of giving her B.Com final exam she suffered a stroke and collapsed. Later she recovered and cleared the exam with the help of a writer," said Micochorhomji.

With the chance of getting a heart for transplant ranking high, her family moved here last month and lived in an apartment near the Fortis Malar hospital.

According to the doctors, Hvovi Aspy would have lived for another six months without a donor's heart.

"Only in Tamil Nadu there is a good system of organ donation. We were advised by our doctors in Mumbai to go to Chennai. We thought of getting the transplant done overseas but the cost was very prohibitive.

"My sincere thanks to the Tamil Nadu government for having put in place such a system, to the doctors and others," Micochorhomji said.

Though there were others in the queue for heart transplant, the blood group of the donor and Hvovi Aspy matched. So she got the heart.

Post operation her daughter is doing fine. Her discharge depends on her condition.

"This is the most important period. We are all praying that my daughter should not suffer any more complications. We need all your good wishes and prayers," she said.

"We do not know what is in store for us and her. But we hope the difficult times are over. I hope my daughter is able to complete her MBA and lead a normal life like any other girl."

The Monday miracle was made possible due to the coordinated action of the medical professionals at both hospitals and the city's traffic police.

On receipt of information, police set up the green channel between the government hospital and Fortis Malar.

With his eyes fixated on the tail lights of the police car ahead, the ambulance driver, Kathir Vel, stepped on the pedal at around 6.45 p.m. It covered the 13 km distance in around 13 minutes.

The evening traffic on the busy roads was regulated. The ambulance got the green signal at all 16 junctions.

The ambulance with the donor's heart reached Fortis Malar, where doctors swing into action. The transplant took around four hours.