Heart transplant recipient dedicates herself to cause of organ donation

Just a year ago, 21-year-old Bandra resident Hvovi Minocherhomji struggled with breathlessness and could barely walk a few steps at a time. On 15 June last year, she got a new lease on life when she became probably the first person from Maharashtra to get a heart transplant. Now the 22-year-old has dedicated herself to the cause of organ donation. She has just completed a training programme to convince people to donate their brain-dead relatives' organs and save lives. A year ago, Hvovi herself had got a heart from a brain-dead person.

Hvovi is one of the 30 candidates who completed a 'transplant co-ordinators programme' at Mohan foundation in Chennai on Friday. She spent almost a month in that city, doing this full-time course.

Last year Hvovi had end-stage heart failure, and transplant was the only option if she was to survive. She, a commerce student, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart becomes so weak and enlarged that the supply of blood to the lungs, liver and other organs is affected.

With her heart's pumping efficiency dropping from 60% to 10-15%, and several parts of her body swelling up, Hvovi was barely able to walk, and was facing breathlessness, for which she repeatedly approached several Mumbai hospitals. After the transplant she is in normal health, and is conducting her daily routine without any help whatsoever.

She got her heart transplant surgery on June 15 last year at Fortis Malar Hospital in Adyar, Chennai.

Hvovi said, "This is my wish: I want to create awareness among people about organ donation. I am unable to work in the hospital set-up, because I need to avoid infection after my heart transplant procedure. But I can work outside hospitals with NGOs, I can spread the word among people about organ donation. I present myself as a case study and convince people to donate organs."

She added, "In this one-month course, we were taught how to talk to the patient's relatives and how to convince them to donate the patient's organs. We were taught in a very scientific manner. Such courses should be conducted across the country. My parents also took a similar one-week course in Mumbai."

Maharashtra has a poor record in conducting heart transplant surgeries. The state has not seen a single such surgery since the time hospitals were granted permission to perform them.

According to the Maharashtra health services department, even 10 years after seven hospitals in the city were granted permission to conduct heart transplant operations, not a single such surgery has been performed in Mumbai.

"Right after getting the heart transplant, she had expressed a wish to create awareness among the people. We are happy about the fact that she spent a month in Chennai for the course. We went through a lot of pain because of her illness, and we saw how hard it was to get an organ. There is a great need to concentrate on cadaver donation," said Arnity Homji, Hvovi's mother.

Sunil Shroff, founder, Mohan foundation, said, "837 candidates have gone through our training programme so far. Nowadays, it is mandatory for hospitals to appoint a full-time coordinator to counsel the families of donors, which is the most crucial part in the process. Hvovi is a bright girl, and she can definitely work for capacity building, advocacy in organ donation programmes."