Nagpur: A kidney transplant that gave Amit Jaiswal, a teacher, a second chance at life has now been followed by another milestone — a PhD in English, completed despite years of illness, dialysis and a prolonged recovery from Covid-19.Jaiswal, an English language faculty member at Shivaji Science College, Nagpur, was awarded his doctoral degree by Nagpur University on Aug 6. He will formally receive the doctorate at the university’s next convocation.The achievement, coming just before World Organ Donation Day (Aug 13), serves as a reminder of how a decision to donate organs can give another person not merely extra years of life, but the opportunity to pursue dreams that illness may have threatened to take away.Jaiswal’s health struggles began after an accident in 2019, following which his medical condition gradually worsened. Subsequently, Jaiswal suffered kidney failure, leaving him dependent on daily dialysis. To make matters worse, he contracted Covid-19, and recovery from the infection took nearly three months. Braving deteriorating health, Jaiswal cleared the Maharashtra State Eligibility Test (MH-SET) and registered for a PhD.In 2023, his mother donated a kidney to him, giving him what doctors described as a new lease of life. The transplant and subsequent post-transplant care brought up their own challenges, but Jaiswal chose to return to his academic pursuit rather than allow his illness to define his future.In 2022, Jaiswal registered for a PhD under English professor Kapil Singhel. Prof MP Dhore, now the Pro-VC of Amravati University, backed Jaiswal as then principal of the college. His doctoral thesis, “Perspectives of Social Criticism in the Select Novels of John Steinbeck,” involved years of research and academic work undertaken against the backdrop of his health struggles.Consultant nephrologist Dr Shivnarayan Acharya described Jaiswal’s determination as remarkable. “I am working as a temporary faculty member and waiting for the opportunity to be a full time assistant professor. That is my next goal,” Jaiswal said.BOXOrgan Donation Awareness Program at IMA on August 16A public awareness programme on Organ and Tissue Donation will be held on Sunday, Aug 16 at the IMA Auditorium, North Ambazari Road, to commemorate National and International Organ Donation Day.The programme is being organised by Association of Physicians of India (API), Vidarbha Chapter, in association with Indian Medical Association (IMA), Nagpur Branch, Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC), Nagpur; Academy of Medical Sciences, Nephrology Society, and Society of Critical Care Medicine, Nagpur.CP Vishwas Nangre Patil will be the chief guest, while ZTCC Nagpur chief Manish Shrigiriwar will be the guest of honour. Organ donors and transplant recipients will participate and share their experiences. Representatives of MOHAN Foundation and Madhav Netrapedhi will also participate in the event.
