Doctor Donates Kidney to Stranger After Legal Battle

In a remarkable act of altruism, Dr. Thankam S, a fetal medicine specialist in Bengaluru, donated one of her kidneys to a stranger, fulfilling a decade-long aspiration. Initially pledging post-mortem donation, Dr. Thankam chose to become a living donor due to low deceased donation rates. Her journey was fraught with legal challenges and repeated denials by hospital authorization committees, primarily due to the lack of a familial relationship with potential recipients.

After years of effort, she was matched with a 24-year-old orphan awaiting a cadaver transplant. However, permission was denied in 2023. A significant breakthrough occurred in December 2025 when a high court judge directed the authorization committee to grant permission for the donation, setting a five-week deadline to identify suitable candidates. The second identified recipient, a 56-year-old woman, was deemed fit for the transplant, and the surgery was approved on February 2, 2026.

The life-changing surgery was successfully completed on February 10, 2026. Dr. Thankam, aged 59, expressed her deep satisfaction in fulfilling her dream and emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the safety of kidney donation to unrelated individuals. She also has a history of humanitarian service, having served with Doctors Without Borders in Yemen and Afghanistan, including a mission in March 2025.