Teen skips exams to donate liver, save grandmother

A 19-year-old from Bihar, Aditya Raj, paused his Class 12 board exams to donate part of his liver to save his grandmother Sunita Devi, who suffered from advanced liver disease. Doctors confirmed successful transplant and recovery for both at Max Hospital

Noida: A 19-year-old youth from Bihar put his class 12 board examinations on hold to donate a portion of his liver and save his 62-year-old grandmother suffering from advanced liver disease in a display of generous spirit and deep affection, doctors said on Sunday.

The youth, Aditya Raj, volunteered as a donor for his grandmother Sunita Devi, who had been battling liver cirrhosis for over a year — a serious condition marked by repeated hospitalisations, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen (ascites) and increasing physical weakness.

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Doctors at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali said that as her condition progressively worsened, detailed medical evaluation confirmed that a liver transplant was the only definitive treatment option.
With no other family member found medically suitable, Aditya stepped forward. He subsequently underwent extensive medical, psychological and legal screening and was declared fit for donation in accordance with national transplant protocols, according to he doctors.

“This was an emotionally moving yet medically complex case,” Subhash Gupta, Group Chairman, Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences, Max Healthcare, said. He noted that the patient was in an advanced stage of liver disease with complications such as ascites, making timely transplantation critical, while the young donor’s determination despite academic commitments stood out.

Explaining the procedure, Rajesh Dey, director, Liver Transplant and Biliary Sciences at the hospital, said a right lobe graft weighing about 710 grams was successfully transplanted.

He added that in living donor liver transplantation, both the donor’s and recipient’s livers regenerate over time to near-normal size, though the surgery requires high precision and intensive post-operative care.

Following the procedure, Sunita Devi showed steady recovery with stable graft function and normal liver parameters, and was discharged in stable condition 14 days after the transplant, doctors said.
Aditya Raj also recovered well after the surgery and has since resumed normal daily activities, they added.