Sanjay Shakthy Kandaswamy, a one-and-a-half-year-old child from Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), became India's first successful paediatric liver transplant recipient in 1998. For Sanjay Kandasamy, life has come full circle as he is now a qualified doctor, 24 years after his transplant.

Sanjay was born with biliary atresia, a congenital disorder that led to liver failure, and eventually needed a transplant. His father was the donor and the transplant was performed at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi by a team of experts consisting of      Dr M R Rajashekar, Dr A S Soin and Dr Anupam Sibal.

“He is a classic example of long-term smooth survival after undergoing a liver transplant surgery,” said Dr Anupam Sibal, the group medical director and senior paediatric gastroenterologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.

“It is one of the proudest moments in my 28-year career as a transplant surgeon. My baby patient is all set to become a doctor,” said Dr A S Soin, who is currently the chairman of institute of liver transplantation at Medanta Hospital.

With great gratitude to his doctors, Dr Sanjay says, “Seeing their work from such close quarters gave me the determination to become a doctor. I want to contribute to saving lives, and set an example that one can overcome any challenge in life.”