I'm proud of my son, says heart donor's father

JAIPUR: Forty five-year-old Sita Ram is a proud father. His son Raju Luhar has opened doors for heart transplant in the state.
On Sunday, Raju's heart was transplanted to a 32-year-old farmer from Hanumangarh. This was the first heart transplant in the state. "I am proud of my son whose organs have saved four lives," said Sita Ram, during Raju's condolence meet on Monday.
Best wishes and condolence messages kept pouring in throughout the day for the family.
When one visits Vatika village, he could easily spot Raju's house alongside the road. It is a one-room, kutcha house. There is a tin shed to protect from sunshine and rain. The person (a blacksmith by profession) who lived a tough life has attracted the attention as his heart was transplanted to a person who is much older to him.
However, the 18-year-old donor, Raju, has left behind six brothers and sisters, a mother, a father and a pregnant wife.
The neighbours and friends who gathered to attend the condolence meet were seen talking about how the family would meet ends now. Raju's mother is still drifting in and out of consciousness.
Raju's elder sister is married. But his other two sisters and two brothers are in the age group of 5 years to 11 years and his wife is pregnant. Viewing the condition of the house, family's neighbour Ramji Chopra has decided to bear the expense of education of Raju's four brothers and sisters. "Raju's organs have saved the lives of four persons. It is our duty to help his family. I have decided to bear the education expense of his four siblings," Chopra said.
Health minister Rajendra Rathore also attended the condolence meet.
The brother of 42-year-old heart recipient, a farmer from Hanumangarh, also expressed best wishes for the donor's family. "Bahut zyada dhanyawad hai Raju ka (a big thanks to Raju)," he said.
He added, "It was a tough decision for me to decide if we should go for the heart transplant or not. But as my brother's heart was only 10% functioning, we thought we should take a chance."
He said that his brother had a cardiac arrest three years ago and since then, his condition had been deteriorating. "We brought him to the hospital two days ago when he felt breathlessness. The doctors advised a heart transplant," he said.
The heart transplant was conducted successfully, the hospital claimed. A team of cardiac surgeons under Dr MA Chisti, a heart surgeon with Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (MGMCH), had performed the surgery. "The heart was healthy as it was of an 18-year-old boy. The person who received the heart is fine. We conducted echocardiography of the patient and found that the heart is functioning properly," Dr Chisti said.
He said the patient started talking when he regained consciousness after seven hours of surgery. He is taking liquid diet now.