Now, men give wives a lease of life

MUMBAI: "If wives can donate organs, why should husbands cringe from doing the same if needed?'' asks Vijay Chawla. The 55-year-old donated his kidney to his wife Meenkashi in June 2008, giving her a new lease of life.
It all began in March last year recalls Meenakshi. She was aghast when Vijay told her he would give his kidney if the donor match was positive."My initial reaction was, `No, it's not happening'. It meant putting one more life at risk, apart from mine which was already under a shadow of doubt,'' she says.
But when her husband pronounced unequivocally, "if we have lived through everything together till now, we will live through this too'', she agreed. "My son and daughter too offered to be donors. I vehemently disagreed, but they refused to listen,'' she added.
Eventually Vijay's match was positive and Meenakshi received one of his kidneys. The couple has lived a healthy life ever since.
Shambhulal Mange (64) never even took a pill till he went under the knife to give his wife his kidney. Mange faced opposition from unlikely quarters- his mother and brother. "They protested but I simply said I need to save my home and I'll do what I think is right.'' Mange admits to being a little unnerved by the battery of tests he underwent but when it worked, he decided to help other indecisive donors overcome the dilemma.
Nephrologist Dr Bharat Shah, who treated both the patients, told TOI, "In today's age even matching is not a problem and it's more the donor's wish that matters.'' Disagreeing with the notion that mostly women donate organs in times of need Shah said, "There are ample cases of husbands donating organs.''