Suzanne & her sister Joanna; Mastan & his wife Afreen

BENGALURU: When Suzanne Sangi and Mohammed Mastan of Bengaluru were diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure, they had no clue their paths would cross in a way that would alter their lives.
Suzanne, 29, a content manager from KR Puram, lived for years with lupus nephritis, a renal condition triggered by an autoimmune disease. Despite initial improvements, her condition worsened, and by 2023, she was on dialysis.

Mastan, also 29, from Jayanagar, works in the IT sector and is a young father. He developed sudden symptoms of leg swelling and fatigue. Tests revealed IgA nephropathy, another autoimmune disorder affecting the kidneys. He, too, needed a transplant.
Suzanne’s younger sister, Joanna Thangi, came forward as a donor, while Mastan’s wife, Afreen Begum, did the same. But there was a problem. Their blood groups didn’t match. Suzanne and Joanna were B+ve and A+ve, respectively. On the other hand, Mastan was A+ve, while Afreen was B+ve.
In the midst of this gloomy situation, Dr Deepak Dubey and Dr Mohammed Fahad Khan at Manipal Hospital, spotted a silver lining: Two families with the same predicament, but with complementary donor-recipient matches. In view of that, a kidney swap was proposed. So, Suzanne would receive a kidney from Afreen, while Mastan would receive one from Joanna.
‘Our bond goes beyond medical need’
The idea of a kidney swap may raise questions, especially when religion, caste, or regional differences come into play. In this case, though, both the families agreed to go ahead without the slightest of hesitations.
“When we learned that our blood types didn’t match, my sister and I were disappointed, but then the doctors introduced us to Mastan and Afreen, who were in the same situation. It was such a relief, given that sometimes, the wait for a compatible donor can take years,” Suzanne said.
The transplants were successfully conducted on Dec 9, 2024. After the critical three-month post-transplant period, Suzanne and Mastan and the two donors are all fine. “By God’s grace, both surgeries went well,” Suzanne said. “My sister would go and see Mastan when she came to check on me, while Mastan’s wife would visit me. It became a bond that went beyond medical need.”
Mastan added: “It was a perfect match. The swap gave us new life.”
Even months after the transplant, the two families are in touch. They make video calls regularly and refer to each other as their extended family.