Three Families From Three States, Six Marathon Surgeries in One Day — How Humanity Saved Three Lives

New Delhi: In an extraordinary medical achievement, doctors at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket performed six back-to-back marathon surgeries in a single day, giving a new lease of life to three critically ill kidney patients through a swap kidney transplant program. What makes the case exceptional is that the three donor families—coming from West Bengal, Delhi, and Bihar—were complete strangers, yet united to save each other’s loved ones.

All Three Patients Were in Urgent Need of Kidney Transplants

The patients—Shadab Ali (36) from West Bengal, Joginder Kumar (52) from Delhi, and Vinod Kumar (51) from Bihar—were in advanced stages of kidney failure and dependent on dialysis.

• Shadab suffered from IgA nephropathy and peripheral neuropathy, a condition where nerve communication between the brain and organs weakens, commonly seen in chronic kidney disease (CKD).
• Joginder had already undergone a kidney transplant earlier, but it failed, and he was also battling low heart function.
• Vinod had a history of coronary artery disease, having undergone bypass surgery before his kidneys failed.

All three required a transplant without delay.

When Blood Groups Didn’t Match, Families Opted for Paired Kidney Transplant

Though each patient had a willing donor within the family, blood group mismatches made direct donation impossible. The families then agreed to a paired kidney transplant, a process in which donors exchange kidneys across families with mutual consent, ensuring compatibility for all recipients.

Under this arrangement:

• Simran Parveen (30), Shadab’s wife, donated her kidney to Joginder.
• Suman (41), Joginder’s sister, donated to Vinod.
• Poonam Devi (51), Vinod’s wife, donated to Shadab.

This formed a life-saving donation chain, connecting strangers into lifelong bonds.

Three Successful Transplants in One Day

Dr. Dinesh Khullar of Max’s Nephrology and Renal Transplant Medicine department said the case reflects “extraordinary humanity and courage” as three unrelated families came together selflessly. With the help of advanced APKD software, doctors matched each donor and recipient with scientific accuracy and complete transparency.

All three surgeries were successfully completed in a single day under the supervision of Dr. Anant Kumar, marking a remarkable milestone in complex renal transplantation.