LIVES WE'VE TOUCHED

Samarthya Gupta

Light at the end of the tunnel.

Samarthya Gupta was 56 days old when he had to go under the knife to undergo a Kasai procedure. It is the classic operation for the condition of congenital biliary atresia. When Samarthya was born, his bile reading was too high and doctors suggested the procedure to save the liver from getting infected. 

Globally, it is seen that biliary atresia is one of the common causes of liver failure in children. A Kasai procedure, when done in infants has a success rate of 60 to 80 per cent. 

Samarthya’s parents with a heavy heart agreed to let their infant go under the knife to save him from the clutches of paediatric liver disease. But the Kasai didn’t help much in Samarthya’s case. His bilirubin readings always stayed high and never came down to the normal range. Samarthya suffered from the usual symptoms – yellowing of the eyes and skin. A raised bilirubin is also a sign of liver problems. It also means that the liver isn’t able to function well to remove bile from the bloodstream. 

His parents’ worst fears came true when the doctors said that a liver transplant was the only way to save their child. Samarthya is one of the many beneficiaries who reached out to us on TPAF helpline and we are proud that we could be of help. In December 2020, at the age of 3 years, Samarthya underwent the transplant at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. He is recovering well. We wish him good health and speedy recovery.