13-YEAR-OLD GIRL RECEIVES LIFESAVING HEART TRANSPLANT AT FORTIS MULUND

13-YEAR-OLD GIRL RECEIVES LIFESAVING HEART TRANSPLANT AT FORTIS MULUND

Mulund, August 1st, 2025: Pediatric Cardiology team at Fortis Hospital, Mulund successfully performed a heart transplant on July 18th, offering a new beginning to 13-year-old Khansa Rahim Sayyed from Jalna, Maharashtra. The transplant was made possible after a 25-year-old brain dead patients family came forward and consented to donate his organs, marking Maharashtra’s 85th organ donation of the year.

Ms Khansa was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy in January 2025 at Fortis Hospital Mulund. It is a serious condition where the heart grows progressively weak and enlarged, reducing its ability to pump blood efficiently. For months, she battled persistent fatigue, breathlessness, poor appetite, and frequent hospitalizations; these symptoms eventually prevented her from attending school (8th grade) or carrying out activities of daily living. Under the care of Dr Snehal Kulkarni, Director-Pediatric Cardiology, Fortis Hospital Mulund, at the Jalna OPD, her condition remained unchanged despite optimized medication.

“My daughter fell sick after coming back from an Independence Day parade (2024), and we thought it was because she had exhausted herself. She was always a physically weak child and had endured severe cold few years ago, but we never imagined there could be an issue with her heart. When the doctors told us that her condition was rather serious, it shook us to the core. We had Khansa listed as a recipient in Jan 2025, and those seven months spent waiting for a donor were ridden with anxiety. I will forever be grateful to god almighty, and the doctors at Fortis for helping us tide through these difficult times. My daughter is doing better now, and she wants to do umrah to thank God for a new life,” said Khansa’s mother Mrs Rubina Sayyed.

Talking about Khansa’s transplant journey, Dr Swati Garekar, Senior Consultant-Pediatric Cardiology, Fortis Hospital Mulund, said, “With her new heart, we can hope she can lead a normal life. She needs to be on life-long anti-rejection medications and follow up regularly. There are many kids like Khansa, with end stage heart failure, who will be benefit from a heart transplant but awareness is lacking.”

After nearly seven months wait for a suitable donor, the breakthrough came when a 25-year-old patient from a hospital in Pune—declared brain-dead following a road traffic accident with traumatic brain injury, was identified as a match. The donor’s heart was transported to Fortis Hospital Mulund, across 140Kms in 1hr 54mins, where the transplant surgery was successfully performed on July 18th, 2025.

“There was a significant weight mismatch in the organs of the donor and recipient, however, Khansa’s dilated heart had created enough space to accommodate the larger heart in the chest cavity. We carefully assessed all risk factors. Post-surgery, she did experience initial challenges like headaches due to high post-transplant blood pressure, common in such cases, but she is now stable, recovering well & has been discharged”, added Dr Sachin Patil, Incharge-Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthesia & ICU.

Dr Satish Javali, Consultant-CVTS Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, who performed the transplant said, “Once the organ is retrieved from the donor it has to be transplanted within 4hours. It took us 2hours to transport the organ from Pune to Mumbai via a green corridor. Despite that, we completed the transplant within the

critical four-hour window. The patient was weaned off the ventilator and cardiac supports within 48hours and discharged in just 14 days—an exceptionally quick recovery. Khansa’s resilience, along with our intensive care and pediatric teams’ effort, made this a truly inspiring success story. What’s even more heartening is Khansa getting discharged on the eve of Organ Donation Day, setting inspiring example of how organ donation can truly save lives”.

Speaking about the transplant, Dr Vishal Beri, Facility Director, Fortis Hospital Mulund, said, “This transplant is a true reflection of the dedication and skill of our clinical team. We’re deeply grateful to ZTCC for enabling this life-saving transplant. Khansa’s recovery shows the incredible impact of teamwork and timely care. We stay committed to giving more patients a second chance through our transplant program."