Mother Ready to Donate a Kidney to Her Daughter in Mymensingh, but Transplant Stalled for Lack of Money

In Mymensingh, Shilpi Das is ready to donate one of her kidneys to save her daughter Adrita Das, a college student suffering from a complex kidney disease. According to the family, doctors' preliminary tests have found the mother's kidney suitable for her daughter. But the transplant remains stalled because the family cannot raise the money it requires.

On Thursday afternoon (12 November), Adrita was found lying in bed at a rented home on Girish Chakrabarty Road in Mymensingh city. At the same time, her college, Alamgir Mansur (Mintu) Memorial College, was holding its freshers' reception. While her classmates were starting their new college life, illness kept Adrita at home.

Adrita passed her SSC in 2026 from Bidyamoyee Government Girls' High School in Mymensingh in the science stream. Her dream was to become a doctor. But because of a physical disability she could not continue studying science, and she later enrolled in the humanities stream at Alamgir Mansur (Mintu) Memorial College. As her kidney complications worsened, even her regular studies have now become uncertain.

Adrita's father Kamal Das works as an employee at a grocery shop in Mymensingh's Mechhua Bazar, and his salary supports the four-member family. Her mother Shilpi Das is a homemaker. Adrita is the elder of two daughters; the younger, Swastika Das, is a sixth-grade student at Bidyamoyee Government Girls' High School.

The family's permanent address is Khurshimul village in Maghan-Siadhhar Union of Mohanganj upazila in Netrokona. They currently rent the third floor of the house of the late Kanai Lal Majumdar on Girish Chakrabarty Road in Mymensingh city.

Family members said a haemoglobin deficiency was detected in Adrita's body in 2024. She was treated for that problem for about a year, but her physical weakness did not go away. In early 2025, tests found problems in both her kidneys. Along with excess protein passing through her kidneys, she also had high blood pressure.

Adrita's treatment first began under a kidney specialist in Mymensingh. She was later taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (the former PG Hospital) in Dhaka, where doctors advised a kidney biopsy. While under treatment there, she was given several kinds of medicine to bring her high blood pressure under control. During the biopsy attempt Adrita had a seizure and became deeply frightened, after which she pleaded with her family to take her abroad for treatment.

With help from relatives, friends and neighbours, Adrita was taken to Bengaluru, India, for the first time last July. After tests and a biopsy there, doctors said about 50 percent of her kidneys had been damaged. When she was taken to Kolkata, India, for a second time this August, her kidney condition was found to have deteriorated further. According to the family, her creatinine level was then about 7, and it later rose to 9.

Doctors in India advised a quick kidney transplant. The family says the cost of treatment there was quoted at about 50 lakh Indian rupees. After returning home, the family contacted various places but could not arrange the necessary money. Father Kamal Das said they have no ability to raise the 10 to 15 lakh taka needed for a kidney transplant.

Mother Shilpi Das said: 'My daughter was very weak before. She would come home from school and say, Ma, I feel very unwell. At first I did not understand such a big problem had developed. I treated her for haemoglobin for a year. Later I learned there were problems in both kidneys.' In a tearful voice she added that with help from relatives, friends and neighbours she took her daughter to India twice for treatment, doctors have said a transplant must be done quickly and her kidney matches her daughter's, but she does not have the money for the transplant.

After news of Adrita's illness spread on social media, several local residents and social workers came forward to help. One of them, Shyamal Kanti Pal, said about 2.5 lakh taka has so far been collected for Adrita's treatment. He said they have been told a minimum of 10 to 12 lakh taka is needed for the treatment, and about 8 to 9 lakh taka more is still required.

Local resident Beauty Pal has known Adrita's family for about nine years; Adrita's younger sister Swastika is her daughter's classmate and friend. Beauty Pal said they have tried to stand by the family since the start of the illness and, with friends, helped send Adrita to India, but the treatment now needs a very large sum that they cannot provide alone.

Adrita said: 'My dream was to become a doctor. But because of my illness, that dream has stopped. If everyone helps, I want to recover and study again.' The family and local helpers have appealed for support to the relevant government offices, public representatives, expatriate Bangladeshis and well-off members of society.