Sahyadri Super Speciality Hospital, Nagar Road undertakes first paediatric living liver transplant surgery for 17-year-old boy under ‘Mission Muskan

Pune, 31 December 2018: 17-year-old Yash Galpelli had everything going for him – having graduated from Class X with 91%, he looked to soar to the heights to success. It was about one year ago when things started looking grim. With constant swelling in his hands and feet, episodes of nose bleeding and burning sensation in eyes – he was diagnosed with Wilson’s disease. At Sahyadri Super Specialty Hospital, Nagar Road, he became the first paediatric living donor liver transplant patient to undergo a living liver transplant. Today much joyous Yash along with his parents celebrated his recovery by cutting a cake with the doctors and staff at the hospital.

Explaining about Wilson’s disease Dr. Bipin Vibhute, Liver Transplant & Haepatobiliary Surgeon, Sahyadri Hospital said, “Typically, Wilson disease is an inherited condition that causes the body to retain excess copper. The liver does not release copper into bile as it should. As the copper builds up in the liver, it begins to damage the organ. The liver then releases the copper directly into the bloodstream, which carries it throughout the body. The copper buildup leads to damage in the kidneys, brain, and eyes. If not treated, Wilson’s disease can cause severe brain damage, liver failure, and death. Often an otherwise apparently normal child can suffer with life threatening acute liver failure in this setting, warranting urgent liver transplantation.”

Treating doctor Dr. Dinesh Zirpe, Liver Transplant & GI Surgeon, Sahyadri Hospital adds, “When Yash and his family came to visit us , his health was already deteriorating. He had a bleeding nose , abdominal swelling,loss of balance and joint ache -some symptoms of Wilson’s disease. Thankfully, the boy’s aunt had a matching blood group and she was found fit for organ donation after complete liver assessment. The transplantation surgery was conducted on 23 November and lasted for 10 hours. Considering his young age and multisystem involvement, this was a high-risk procedure. But because of advance precision he was discharged on the seventh day. We are happy to see him on the path of normal life.”

Says Yash Galpelli, “There were time period when I was constantly wondering what was wrong with me. I will never forget that feeling of not being able to walk by myself or the constant bleeding of my nose. While I was looking forward to doing well in my Class XII examination, there were times when I couldn’t even move or decipher what was happening to me. I am so thankful to my family and the doctors and staff of Sahyadri Hospital for giving me a new lease of life.”

Since the patient’s family wasn’t in the state of affording the treatment, Sahyadri Super Specialty Hospital, Nagar Road in association with the Chief Minister’s Medical Assistance Fund supported them in their finances. Under Mission Muskan, Yash also received help from Tata Trust, The Pravin Agarwal Foundation and Rotary International. Yash underwent this surgery completely free of cost. The transplant team comprised of liver transplant expert Dr. Bipin Vibhute, Dr. Dinesh Zirpe, Dr. Manish Pathak, Dr. Shailesh Sable, Dr.Vinit Shah, Dr. Anirudh Bhosale, Dr. Manoj Raut, transplant coordinators Rahul Tambe, Arun Ashokan and Nitin Dushing.

Shri Om Prakash Shete, Chief, Chief Minister’s Medical Assistance Fund adds, “I have standing order of Hon. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to aim at providing accessible healthcare to one and all. We believe that safe surgical care is an essential component of healthcare and a universal human right. While the state of Maharashtra is progressing in various fields, healthcare is not left far behind. Under ‘Mission Muskan’, we aim to reach out to grass-root levels by helping underprivileged children requiring immediate surgical intervention .Although our initiative is for kids below the age of 12 years ,  in  this case an amount of Rs 3 lakh was made available from CM fund and we requested Tata Trust to treat this as a special case under project  ” Muskan “.

Mr. Suresh Chokhani, Project Chair, Mission Muskan comments, “We are proud to have partnered with Sahyadri Hospital and the CM’s Medical Assistance Fund to provide a lifesaving and life changing surgery for Yash. It fills our heart with joy to see him on his feet once again. For us at Rotary International, the impact these surgeries have on children, families and the community at large is simply immeasurable.”

Mr. Sudin Apte, Coordinator Mission Muskan says, “For this collective effort, I would like to thank Sahyadri Hospital and the Chief Minister’s Medical Assistance Fund. While Sahyadri Hospital provides able support in terms of infrastructure, equipment and proficient workforce and a skilled team of doctors, the Chief Minister’s Medical Assistance Fund and Rotary International comes with generous monetary support. Collectively, we hope this vision will help change the lives of many such children in the coming future.”

After smooth recovery of Yash, Sahyadri Hospital conducted a cake cutting ceremony to celebrate his birthday and for this surgical intervention done for Project Prerana in association with Chief Minister’s Medical Assistance Fund and Rotary International for ‘Mission Muskan’.