Grief-stricken mother donates son's kidneys to save two lives

KARACHI: In a moment of unimaginable grief, a female nephrologist from Karachi donated both kidneys of her only 23-year-old son, who was declared brain dead after a tragic road accident, saving the lives of two patients awaiting transplant, The News reported on Thursday.

The deceased, Syed Sultan Zafar, 23, was a dental student at the Ziauddin Medical and Dental College and the only son of Dr Mahar Afroze, a Consultant Nephrologist and Associate Professor at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT).

He was the grandson of two of Pakistan's highly respected health experts — Professor Tipu Sultan and Professor Dr Shershah Syed.

According to Prof Tipu, the deceased's father Syed Furqan Zafar had died a few years ago due to liver cancer and is buried in Kohi Goth, where the family runs a charity hospital. Sultan Zafar will now be laid to rest beside his father.

Narrating the devastating ordeal, Prof Tipu Sultan said Sultan Zafar met with a fatal road accident last Wednesday morning while driving with friends in a private housing society in Karachi.

"He was rushed to the emergency room with multiple head injuries and was unconscious upon arrival. He was intubated immediately and shifted to the ICU after initial surgery to remove blood clots from his brain," Prof Tipu said.

"At 1am on Saturday, Sultan was again taken to the operating theatre for another craniotomy. We spent those days in constant fear and anguish, unable to sleep or focus on anything but his condition," Prof Tipu added.

Sultan Zafar initially showed signs of improvement and was shifted to a ward for nursing care. But on Tuesday morning, his condition suddenly deteriorated. "He developed breathing difficulties and was shifted back to the ICU. He was re-intubated, but by 4pm, he had lost all reflexes, and his pupils were fixed and dilated," Prof Tipu recalled.

The family was shattered. "There are no words to describe what we went through. After prolonged discussions outside the ICU lasting more than five hours, Mahar Afroze took the most selfless and courageous decision of her life — to donate her son's organs so others could live," Prof Tipu said, with his voice breaking.

Dr Afroze personally arranged for her son's body to be transported in an ambulance to SIUT late Tuesday night, knowing the importance of cadaver organ donation.

"She is a nephrologist who sees patients die daily due to the shortage of organ donors. She wanted Zafar's death to save lives," Prof Tipu said.

At SIUT, both kidneys were transplanted into two patients who had been waiting for years. Unfortunately, other organs could not be harvested because no immediate recipients were available.

Prof Dr Shershah Syed, Sultan Zafar's grandfather, paid an emotional tribute to his daughter-in-law. "Dr Mahar Afroze is a great doctor, a real human being and a courageous mother. She has set an example for every family and doctor in Pakistan. We are all very proud of her," he said.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, SIUT confirmed the successful transplantation, saying the surgeries were performed in the early hours of the morning by a team of urologists and anaesthetists.

"This generous donation of Dr Afroze in an hour of profound grief and distress is widely hailed by the members of the medical profession and the society at large," the statement read.

SIUT Director Prof Adib Rizvi praised the family's decision. "They gave the gift of life to two patients who had no donors in their families and were on dialysis for years. We call upon society to emulate this noble act," he said.

Pakistan faces a critical shortage of organ donors. Cultural misconceptions and religious concerns often prevent families from allowing organ harvesting from deceased loved ones, even though thousands of patients die each year from kidney, liver and heart failure.

"This act should inspire others," Prof Tipu Sultan urged, adding: "Mahar Afroze has lost her only son and now has only her two daughters left, yet she chose to give hope to others. That is true humanity."

As Sultan Zafar is laid to rest beside his father in Kohi Goth, his mother’s strength in the face of unbearable tragedy stands as a beacon of hope for thousands of patients waiting for organ transplants in the country.