Thursday 16 July 2020

Reena Raju - Living and Giving with Three Hearts


 
A resident of Bengaluru, Reena Raju is a sportsperson - a former track & field athlete and hockey player at the national level. At the age of 25, she was diagnosed with DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) or end-stage heart failure that was caused due to viral fever. Her heart was functioning at only 15 % with severe LV dysfunction.  This came as a shock to her and her loved ones since she had always been physically fit. Soon she learnt that organ failure can happen to anyone irrespective of age, even if one is physically fit.
She had her 1st heart transplant in the year 2009 and became one of the very few patients in India to have had a heart transplant then, and became the first female heart recipient of Karnataka.
There seemed to be a severe lack of awareness on cadaver organ donation across the country (in 2008- 2009), except Tamil Nadu. Although she had registered on the waiting list in Karnataka, she did not receive a call for transplant. Their research led us to world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. KM Cherian and his hospital Frontier Lifeline in Chennai.
The family registered her in Tamil Nadu. Meeting Dr. Cherian gave her immense hope. In a month’s time, we got the call for a transplant. There was a matching donor heart. A grieving family had donated organs of their loved one. She was determined to give my best to honour the selfless act of organ donation. She surrendered in God’s plan and went for itand had a successful transplant. In 3 days, she was walking, 5 days she was singing for my doctor, and in 15 days she was back in Bengaluru with a new heart whom she called “Angel”.
“I salute all donors and donor families. I thank the State of Tamil Nadu and TRANSTAN for saving many lives, including mine, through an organ transplant. The Tamil Nadu Transplant Program has definitely inspired similar organizations across the country. Thank You for all that you do!
I thank my hospital Frontier Lifeline - Dr. KM Cherian Heart Foundation for making HEART transplants happen, even at a time when it was rarely heard of in our country. Their expertise and commitment towards heart transplantation is commendable. The transplant team saved my life not once, but twice! Making me the first-ever repeat heart transplant for CAV  (Coronary artery Vasculopathy) in the country! The hospital is my family and Holy place
I continue living life to the fullest, as I believe it is the best way to honour my donors and donors’ families. It is also the best way to honour and thank my family and medical professionals who have cared for me all these years.” –says Reena Raju
When Reena understood thatthere is a huge waiting list in India for patients suffering from end-stage organ failure, who needed an organ transplant- she decided to make a difference. She felt the strong need to create awareness on organ donation. Post-transplant, a recipient needs medicines all their life. Unfortunately, they are expensive immune suppression and anti-rejection drugs. It can cost anywhere from 8,000- Rs.15,000 ( depending on the brand of drug/prescribed dosage, type of organ transplant).
Reena further says- “I was upset when I heard that a heart recipient passed away as he could not afford these life-saving medicines. I could now clearly see God’s plan and purpose for me. I felt a strong desire to work toward the cause that saved my life. Three months post-transplant, I started cycling and jogging. Six months later,  I participated in my first 5K run. I started singing with my donor’s heart beating in me! I studied and researched a lot about organ transplantation. Dr. K M Cherian became my mentor and institute! He connected me with experts from around the world. Connecting with so many people helped me get different perspectives and understanding of the transplant World. He gave me opportunities at various platforms to learn and promote the cause. I was determined to make a difference.”
Reena Founded Light A Life - Reena Raju Foundation, in 2011. Theycreate nationwide awareness on organ donation and organ transplantation. They also provide free pre/post-transplant counselling to patient/ patient families across India along with raising funds for the needy. They also promote and encourage fitness & wellness especially among transplant recipients in our country. They are also actively promoting International Transplant sporting events since 2017.
Reena underwent a 2nd heart transplant after developing a rare complication known as Coronary artery Vasculopathy (as a result of immuno suppressive drugs). It is different from Cardiomyopathy.
She Narrates- “My heart function was detoriating rapidly and I was advised to go back to Chennai where I had the 1st transplant. I was taken by an ambulance to Chennai and I knew that I reached the hospital entrance and I became unconscious. I was told that after I reached the hospital I had a cardiac arrest.  I was resituated and was put on a ventilator with high supportive drugs. Inspite of these preliminary supportive measures, my condition was detoriating rapidly.   I was initiated on another cardio vascular supportive system known as IAPB (Intra Aortic Balloon Pump).  This is a Balloon which was inserted through my groin blood vessel and the balloon was inflating and deflating in my large blood vessel, namely aorta. Inspite of 8 hours of ventilator and IABP support, my condition was still detoriating. The doctor informed my relatives that I would need another transplant and they were making arrangements for getting a suitable donor.  I was half conscious with blurred vision and not properly thinking, everything was vague to me. I could over hear the discussion among doctors and since my condition was detoriatingrapidly they decided to initiate me on another support mechanism known as ECMO (Extra corporeal membrane oxygenation). I was initiated on this new sophisticated support system as the doctors were not prepared to accept my death.   TRANSTAN had raised the red flag for me, contacted all the hospitals and it was lucky for me as there was a donor available after 3 days of these main supports namely ventilator, IABP and ECMO.  A young donor was identified and who was supposed to give the heart for another waiting patient, thanks to the Donor Hospital and TRANSTAN, emergency allotment was given for me.  The permission came and the heart was harvested in the night and I had my 2nd Heart Transplant.  The next morning I was fully awake and they had already removed the ECMO support and the IABP during the Transplant itself. I was only on Ventilator support for another 12 hours and I was removed from the Ventilator and I could breathe on my own and see my sister, Raju and my doctors. I was made to sit up and in 24 hours I was made to walk and on 11th day I was dancing in the ICU to the tune of “JIMMIKI KAMAL” Two weeks later I was discharged and went back to Bangalore.”
Reena on Ventilator, IABP and ECMO               11th Day Post Op – Dancing to the                                                                                                                             Tune of JIMMIKI KAMAL
Reena Raju’s achievements in sports/fitness, post first heart surgery:
·         Completed a 5.7 km run by walking and jogging to the finish to promote organ donation. (Yr 2011)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlZBWJhWcMA
·         cycled 8 km to promote the cause( Yr 2012) 
·         First woman Heart Recipient to have started a registered charitable Trust in India in 2011, with a vision to make organ transplantation a viable option for patients. facebook.com/ReenaRajuFoundation/ 
·         A 15 ft underwater seabed walk ( Yr 2013) 
·         Parasailed ( Yr 2013)
·         First organ recipient in India to do a 13,000 ft tandem skydive ( yr 2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6K3JVfdrBQ&t=7s
·         First female organ recipient ( transplant athlete) to represent India at the World Transplant Games in Malaga, Spain ( Yr 2017) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFa-ukbKL7Q&t=11s
Achievements post second heart surgery: LANDMARKS
  • First-ever repeat heart transplant in India, as on September 22nd, 2017, 8 year’s post my first transplant. 
  • Featured in the Limca book of records for the second time for becoming the first woman transplant athlete to represent India in the 2017 World Transplant Games and first to have a successful repeat heart transplant after CAV.
  • Led Team India as Team Manager, at the 2019 World Transplant Games in Newcastle UK. ( scheduled 17-23 August). After a lot of hard work and sleepless nights, for the first time in Indian’s history of WTG participation, 14 transplant athletes ( 11 organ recipients & 3 living organ donors) represented our country winning 4 Gold and 3 Silver medals! 

-          Recognized and awarded for my contribution to the cause of organ donation & transplantation, by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and NOTTO, in the year 2016 and 2018.
-          Featured in the Limca Book twice for many unique achievements with my donor's hearts beating inside me.
“I must also mention that Dr. KM Cherian had asked permission from Raju and my sister that if found suitable he might use the aortic valve (the valve in the main blood vessel of the heart)  for another patient if it is absolutely necessary, to replace aortic valve. If my donor heart which supported me 8 years had been used for the life of another patient,   the heart that supported me for 8 years  would have been one of the rarest procedures in the world and even after my death I would have been useful for another human being, while living with a Third Heart.”
As  Reena says, “I feel I am so lucky to have had survived two transplants. My gratitude goes to the donors and the Donor Families.  When I mentioned it to Dr. KM Cherian, he was talking like a Friction Writer.  According to him solid organs such as liver, kidney, heart, lungs etc could be grown using Biological scaffold and their research organization is working on growing these organs using one owns stem cells and shark fin as scaffold since it is one’s own stem cell you will not need immuno suppressive drugs and there will not be any need of  human donors and organs will be available as if from a shelf.   To me it is a friction story.  Let us hope the days will not be far away”.

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