|
| Edison resident Shilpa Pandit (right) received
a new kidney from her mother, Maya Shah (left).
Shah donated a kidney to her daughter through
the Renal Transplantation Program at Newark
Beth Israel Medical Center. Also pictured is
Jennifer Hinkis, RN renal transplantation coordinator. |
Shilpa Pandit — who recently celebrated her one-year living donor transplant surgery — feels better than she has in nearly a decade, all thanks to her mother.
The Edison resident received a kidney from her mother
Maya Shah, who traveled from Baroda, India, for
the procedure, which was performed at Newark Beth
Israel Medical Center.
“It’s so true that a mother’s love
knows no boundaries. I might not be here today
if it were not for the many sacrifices my mother
made for me all my life, the most remarkable one
being her kidney donation,” said the 36-year-old Ms. Pandit,
who suffered from polycystic kidney disease (PKD).
“When your child needs you, you do whatever you
can to help them,” said Ms. Shah. “There’s a history
of kidney disease on my husband’s side of the family, so he
always wanted me to stay healthy in case one of
our children fell ill. Well, that day arrived and
I didn’t think twice about giving up a part of me to save her.”
Thankful, too, is Ms. Pandit’s daughter Shivani,
who is thrilled to have, as she says, a “normal” mom. “It
was so difficult for her to see me so very sick.
It is just the two of us and she had to carry a
lot on her little shoulders,” continued Ms. Pandit.
It was during her mid-20s that Ms. Pandit began experiencing
intermittent and mild pain in her back and side.
Over time, the pain became constant and quite severe.
Ultimately in 1996, Ms. Pandit was diagnosed with
PKD, for which dialysis and transplantation are the only forms of
treatment.
Concerned about the difficulties her daughter was having,
Ms. Shah came to the United States to care for
her daughter and granddaughter. “As the disease progressed,
it was time for Ms. Pandit to explore treatment
options including dialysis and kidney transplant,” said Sadanand
Palekar, M.D., Clinical Director of Transplant
at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
In late 2002, Ms. Shah went through the screening process to determine her compatibility as a donor for her daughter. “No one was happier than I to learn I was a match for my daughter — I wanted to help her any way I could,” she said.
On January 23, 2003, surgeons removed the diseased kidneys
from Ms. Pandit, who required dialysis until the
transplant was performed.
Three weeks later, Stuart Geffner, MD, performed a laparoscopic
donor nephrectomy on Ms. Shah and the new kidney
was successfully placed in the younger woman. Within
weeks, Ms. Shah returned to her job as an economic
professor in India and Ms. Pandit started back
to work as a staff biochemist with Merck Pharmaceuticals
in Rahway.
“My mother was able to return to her life in India
knowing that I am in excellent hands here and that
I continue to receive exceptional care. It is a
dream come true,” said Ms. Pandit.
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