Topper from Bihar school receives free heart transplant at city hospital

Even though Dharanum Parveen was considered blessed as she repeatedly topped her school despite her humble economic background, her health was deteriorating soon after the diagnosis. 

Owing to her condition, she was unable to study and was admitted to Childs Trust Hospital. When her condition worsened, she was transferred to Fortis Malar Hospital for the transplant. She was not eligible for the state’s Health Insurance Scheme as she is from Bihar. 

The Aishwarya Trust, a non-profit organisation serving over a decade to support medical expenses of deserving patients from the economically underprivileged section of the society, came forward to finance her treatment.  

“While her heart condition was not detected earlier, the first signs started showing when she encountered severe leg and abdominal pain. The condition worsened with each passing day as her leg started to swell and she struggled to breathe normally. She was hospitalised immediately and a donor was found,” said Dr K R Balakrishnan, director, Cardiac Sciences. She was brought in a critical condition to the hospital, he said. 

“We provided medication to support her frail heart and monitored her clinical functions closely. Luckily, she got a heart within two weeks. She has responded well to the treatment and can resume her studies soon,” he added.