Hyderabad woman becomes first two-time kidney transplant recipient to conquer Antarctica

Sneha Raju from Hyderabad has become the world’s first two-time kidney transplant recipient to complete an Antarctic expedition, including overnight camping and crossing the Antarctic Circle. Her journey highlights resilience, medical success and the possibilities of life after organ transplantation.

Hyderabad: In an achievement that redefined human endurance and medical resilience, Sneha Raju from Hyderabad has become the world’s first two-time kidney transplant recipient to set foot on Antarctica, camp overnight on the Antarctic continent and cross the Antarctic Circle.

The expedition was taken up by Sneha, who works with NCC Limited as Deputy Head (Corporate Communications) from December 17 to 28.

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This is the first time that an individual has successfully accomplished the typical Antarctic expedition, including interior landing, overnight camping, and Circle crossing, after undergoing two kidney transplant surgeries.

The expedition began from Ushuaia, crossing the challenging Drake Passage before reaching the Antarctic Peninsula and the first landing at Barrientos Island, followed by an official continental landing at Portal Point. She then camped overnight on the Antarctic continent at Portal Point under continuous daylight and set foot on Detaille Island after crossing the circle.

Sneha’s life has been shaped by resilience from its very beginning. Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease at the age of three, her childhood unfolded not in playgrounds but in hospital corridors, dialysis wards, and treatment rooms. She underwent her first kidney transplant at seven, and a second transplant in 2013 during her final year of college, after complications from cerebral malaria damaged the first graft.

These defining experiences transformed survival into purpose. Refusing to let her medical history dictate the scope of her life, Sneha chose to pursue ambition with discipline and courage, proving that organ transplantation is not an endpoint, but a beginning.

What started as a tentative trek in the mountains evolved into a powerful journey of representation and a record-breaking achievement. From high-altitude expeditions such as Kala Patthar and the Kashmir Great Lakes to the extreme Chadar Trek—where she became the first two-time kidney transplant recipient recognised by the India and Asia Book of Records- Sneha consistently redefined physical and perceived limits.