‘Rarest of rare’ kidney swap saves lives of two mothers from India and Tanzania

A rare cross-border kidney swap transplant to save the lives of two mothers was conducted in India’s financial capital city Mumbai, for the very first time.

Two sons, one from Tanzania, a country in East Africa, and the second from India exchanged kidneys to save each other’s mothers in Mumbai.

Doctors termed this case to be the rarest of the rare.

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In September 2023, a 58-year-old Francisca Zacharia from Tanzania travelled to Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city to seek treatment for stage five chronic kidney disease. After all the necessary tests, doctors told them that a transplant was necessary.

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Her 32-year-old son hoping for a cure, came to Mumbai and sought a second opinion from one of the biggest private hospitals. Test results mentioned that he and his ill mother were incompatible for the transplant due to differences in the blood group.

After numerous discussions, concerned doctors advised them for a swap kidney transplant. In the next couple of days, they discovered a compatible match in Mumbai’s Chembur area.

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On the other hand, this news was a blessing for the second patient, 57-year-old Sheela Chainani, who was also suffering from stage five chronic kidney disease. She had been undergoing dialysis for two years.

“In both cases, they had earlier struggled and faced difficulties in finding a suitable match for the kidney transplant. The procedures were successful and everyone is recovering slowly,” said one of the concerned doctors.

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After securing the patient’s consent and confirming compatibility, both hospitals commenced an extensive documentation and interview process.

Finally, on December 4, Francisca’s kidney transplant, with Sheela’s son as her donor, was conducted at Nanavati Hospital. Simultaneously, Sheela underwent surgery at Sushrut Hospital, with Francisca’s son as her donor.

This has created a special bond between all four of them which they say will cherish for lifetime.