Srinagar, Aug 04: Four years ago, Nighat Nasreen from Srinagar lay in a hospital bed with little hope of survival. Today, the SKIMS Soura dietitian stood on a national stage in New Delhi, honoured by the Government of India for becoming one of the country’s most inspiring ambassadors of deceased organ donation.
She was among the five recipients across the country felicitated at the 16th Indian Organ Donation Day celebrations attended by Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, in presence of Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, Director General of Health Services Dr Loveneesh G. Krishna, Director, NOTTO, Dr. Anil Kumar, representatives from States, UTs, donor families, transplant recipients, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders.
Nighat was honoured for her remarkable journey from acute liver failure to a second chance at life through a cadaver liver transplant.
For Nighat, the award represents much more than personal recognition. It is a tribute to the anonymous donor whose final act of generosity gave her another life. “I was healthy until June 2022 when everything changed within days,” she recalls.
What initially appeared to be an ordinary illness soon turned into a medical emergency. After first being admitted to SKIMS and later consulting another hospital where routine investigations remained normal, advanced tests revealed dangerously high liver enzyme levels.
She was eventually diagnosed with acute liver failure, a condition in which the liver suddenly stops functioning. Her condition deteriorated rapidly.
Doctors referred her to Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi, where specialists informed her family that only an emergency liver transplant could save her life.
“The doctors told my family there was no time to lose. A transplant was my only hope,” she remembers.
Her case was placed on super-emergency status through the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). As her condition worsened and she remained on ventilator support, a compatible deceased donor liver became available just in time.
The transplant was successfully performed by a team led by renowned liver transplant surgeon Dr Viniyendra Pamecha under the guidance of ILBS Director Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin.
The donor was a woman who had suffered fatal injuries in a road accident. Even in death, her family’s decision to donate her organs transformed another family’s future.
“I owe my second life to a person I never met. Every day I live is because someone chose humanity over grief,” Nighat says.
Her recovery took months of medication, frequent medical reviews and lifestyle changes. Throughout the journey, she credits her family, friends, healthcare workers and doctors for standing beside her.
Today, Nighat has returned to her profession as a dietitian at SKIMS Srinagar, where she now uses her experience to counsel patients and spread awareness about organ donation.
Her inspiring journey also earned recognition from the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) Jammu and Kashmir, which nominated her for the national honour. She was subsequently selected by NOTTO India for felicitation during the national observance.
Speaking after receiving the award, Nighat expressed gratitude to the transplant team at ILBS, the blood and plasma donors, NOTTO India and SOTTO J&K for facilitating the emergency transplant, and above all, the anonymous donor and her family.
“My life is proof that organ donation does not end one life—it saves many. I hope more families come forward to support this noble cause.”
Her story has become a powerful reminder that behind every successful transplant is a family that chose hope in the midst of unimaginable loss.
From fighting for survival in an intensive care unit to receiving national recognition before the country’s top health officials, Nighat Nasreen’s journey stands as one of courage, resilience and the life-saving power of organ donation.
