Every year, this Muslim brother-sister duo meets on Rakshabandhan and exchanges greetings, with Irshad promising to protect his married sister Sabina. Irshad lived up to his promises when he came to learn just after a year of his marriage, that both kidneys of Sabina had failed due to complications in her pregnancy. He donated a kidney to his sister.
"She is my sister and we have spent our life together. When we meet on Rakshabandhan, I promise to look after her. How could I not save her life? What else is an elder brother for?" asked 29-year-old Irshad.
TOI
"I learnt that both my kidneys had failed after I delivered a baby girl in 2011. I took medicines for a year and then spent another year on dialysis. Dr Kamlesh Parikh, who was treating me, suggested that I should undergo organ replacement as early as possible," Sabina, 32 said.
She recalled the zeal of her brothers to come to her aid. "My blood group matched both my brothers. Irshad is elder while Ejaaz is younger to me. Both wanted to donate their kidney. In fact, Ejaaz was adamant that his kidney should be taken. He didn¡¯t even eat for two days," Sabina recalled.
Ejaaz had to be counselled by the doctors and explained that going by rules if the patient has an elder sibling and if he or she is fit to donate, then they have the right to donate first.
Sabina underwent kidney transplantation in 2014 and is living a healthy life now. "Irshad was just a year into his marriage when he decided to donate his kidney, but his wife supported his decision. It is because of him that I am alive today," Sabina, whose husband a businessman, said.
While nursing her baby girl, Sabina also adopted a boy of her sister-in-law. "Celebrating Rakshabandhan is altogether a different feeling now as my brothers stood by me in my difficult times," Sabina said.