News Source : CrimePatrolDastak | Image Courtesy : rediff rediff
Humanity has no limitations even if we are from different communities. Two different people who come from different faiths meet each other in a bus and this meeting changes their lives completely.
Father Sebestian, 41, who is a Catholic priest from Kottayam, Kerala met Rashad Mohammad (30) from Alappuzha. Rashad urgently needed a kidney transplant. Rashad was working at a shop as sales person in Gulf. His earning from Gulf was a big comfort for his parent. Rashad’s father was running a small stationary shop at Haripad in Alappuzha.
During 2011 Rashad felt that his eye sight was becoming weak. His eye checkup report was good. Another doctor asked him to do a blood test but his blood sugar and cholesterol were also fine. Few more tests revealed that both of his kidneys had problems. His kidneys soon needed a transplant and soon his dialysis would also start. Rashad come back to his home in India. Since then he was borrowing money from his relatives and friends for his dialysis. None of his parents were able to donate kidney to him as they are both diabetic and heart patients. His brother could not donate his kidney because his blood group is different.
February 25, 2013 was an unforgettable day for Rashad when he met Father Sebastian in a bus to the hospital. He sat next to the Father just by chance. Years ago father Sebastian had come to know that a person can live with just one kidney. At that time he had decided that he would donate one of his kidneys to a deserving person. “I was also inspired by the story of Father Davis Chiramel, who had donated one of his kidneys to a Hindu. I was waiting for the day when I could also make the same sacrifice.”
A man can donate his kidney to a person who has the same blood group. Rashad told the Father that his blood group is A+. Father’s blood-group is also same. Now they needed to check with the doctor if other things were compatible. As per medical procedure, a person can donate his kidney to a person with the same blood-group with 65% match but in there case medical tests showed 95% match.
After these medical procedures, Rashad’s friends and relatives arranged money for his operation which was around rupees 5 lac.
“We may be following different faiths but all of us should remember that there is only one God and He represents love and kindness. And in front of death, there is no religion. I sincerely hope nobody will impose his faith on others and nobody would fight in the name of religion.”
“I am a Catholic priest from Chalakuddy; Rashad, a Muslim from Haripad and we met on a bus to Kochi. What a strange coincidence! Without God deciding it, how could this happen? Both of us believe in our respective religions fiercely.”
“As per my religious beliefs, there is nothing more than giving one’s life to someone and God has given me the opportunity to give a part of my life to a person so that he gets a new lease of life. I am talking about what I am doing only because I will be blessed if this can inspire at least one other person.”
“Religion never came to my mind when I wanted to help Rasad; the only thoughts I had were of love, peace, brotherhood and humanism.”- Father Sebestian.