Bengaluru Doctor's Extraordinary Kidney Donation to Stranger After 10-Year Struggle
In the bustling city of Bengaluru, where medical professionals are traditionally celebrated for saving lives through clinical care, one doctor has redefined heroism by making an intensely personal sacrifice. Dr. Thankam S, a consultant fetal medicine specialist at Manipal Hospitals on Old Airport Road, has accomplished a rare feat: donating her own kidney to a complete stranger, culminating a decade-long journey fraught with legal obstacles and personal challenges.
From Post-Mortem Pledge to Living Donation Decision
Dr. Thankam's remarkable story began in 2014 when she initially pledged to donate her organs posthumously. However, as she delved deeper into the realities of organ transplantation in India, she became acutely aware of the alarmingly low conversion rates in deceased donations. This knowledge stirred a profound sense of urgency within her. "I didn't want to leave it to circumstances," she explained, reflecting on her pivotal decision. "I resolved to become a living donor instead, to make a tangible difference while I was still alive."
A Decade of Legal Hurdles and Institutional Resistance
What followed was an arduous ten-year period marked by significant barriers. Dr. Thankam faced a lack of familial support and encountered repeated rejections from hospital-based authorisation committees. The primary reason cited was her lack of a familial relationship with any potential recipient, a common regulatory hurdle in organ donation protocols. In 2023, she was matched with a 24-year-old orphan on the cadaver waiting list, but permission was once again denied. The committee explicitly stated that they could not establish a legitimate relationship between donor and recipient, halting the process.
Judicial Intervention and Surgical Success
Determined to overcome these impediments, Dr. Thankam took legal action in June 2025, filing a case to address the systemic legal hurdles. By December 2025, a High Court judge issued a directive to the hospital-based authorisation committee, mandating them to grant her permission for the donation. This was a time-bound order, requiring the committee to identify the top five candidates for donation within a strict five-week timeframe. The first selected recipient was deemed medically unfit, but the second candidate, a 56-year-old woman, was approved for transplant. "The surgery was officially approved on February 2, and I knew absolutely nothing about the patient until that moment," Dr. Thankam recounted. The life-saving transplant surgery was successfully performed on February 10, 2026.
Advocacy for Unrelated Organ Donation in Karnataka
Now 59 years old, Dr. Thankam views her donation not merely as a singular act of altruism but as a powerful message to society. "My long-held dream is finally fulfilled," she stated. "This is about more than just donating a kidney; it's about spreading awareness. We urgently need to educate young people that donating a kidney to unrelated persons is completely safe. Knowing that a doctor has done this can build tremendous confidence. While non-related donations are common in other Indian states, we must accelerate this practice in Karnataka."
A Lifetime of Humanitarian Service
Dr. Thankam's kidney donation is consistent with her lifelong commitment to humanitarian causes. She has served extensively with the international organization Doctors Without Borders, undertaking critical missions in conflict zones such as Yemen and Afghanistan, including a deployment as recent as March 2025. Her dedication exemplifies a profound blend of medical expertise and compassionate service, setting a new benchmark for altruism in the healthcare community.
