Woman from Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) Offers to Donate Kidney to Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad

Lakhimpur Kheri is the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, on the border with Nepal. It was part of the Indian National revolution of 1857 when most British party were shot down and the British fled from Sitapur, escaped to Nepal and till Oct 1858 did not make attempt to regain control. The next 24 hours are critical for Koppad, being treated at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi, according to a report in a newssite. Dogged determination of over 150 soldiers helped by two canines, Dot and Misha, besides earth penetrating radars and special ice cutting equipment helped rescue Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who was buried under tonnes of ice at 19,500 feet on the Siachen Glacier.  As the Nation remembers on  February 3, an 800X400ft ice wall broke off and covered an army post in northern glacier in Siachen, the world's highest battlefield.  The rescue teams had the arduous task of breaking through 25-30 ft of blue ice, which is harder than concrete, and had to chip it away inch by inch, army officials said explaining the rescue operation. In an unprecedented move, PM Sri Narendra Modi  set aside his security protocol and visited Koppad at  Research and Referral Hospital. This morning, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh reached the army hospital to take stock of Hanumanthappa's condition. "Karnataka is very proud of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. We hope he comes out strong," Atul Kumar, Resident Commissioner of Karnataka, said. The soldier faced a tough hurdle in his road to recovery. The mighty warrior is severely dehydrated, hypothermic, hypoxic, hypoglycemic and in shock. He has been diagnosed with pneumonia, his liver and kidney are dysfunctional, he continues to have low blood pressure, the report said. Fortunately, he's not suffered from frost bite or bone injuries, the report quoted a medical bulletin issued by the hospital as saying. A report in PTI said Koppad chose difficult areas over "peace" postings and fought for 10 years in conflict areas. "The brave solider displayed a high degree of initiative and has served 10 years in difficult and challenging areas out of 13 years of total service," a senior army officer said. "The 33-year-old has served in Mahore (J&K) from 2003 to 2006 where he was actively involved in counterinsurgency operations. He again volunteered to serve with 54 Rashtriya Rifles (Madras) in the state from 2008 to 2010 where he displayed indomitable courage and gallantry in fighting terrorism during his tenure," he said. He was serving in the super high altitude areas of Siachen Glacier from August 2015 and was chosen for deployment in one of the highest posts at an altitude of 19,600 feet since December 2015, encountering temperature well below minus 40 degrees C and winds up to 100 km per hour, the officer said. As an individual, Hanumanthappa is said to be  an ever smiling man who shares a cordial relationship with peers and subordinates. Sadly,  nine other soldiers lost their lives in the avalanche. In a move that should hit headlines of all newspapers [currently on Indian Express & Huffington Post]  ~ a woman in Uttar Pradesh has volunteered to donate a kidney to save the life of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, even as the nation continued to pray for his recovery. IANS reports that Nidhi Pandey, a housewife from Lakhimpur Kheri, 167-km from Lucknow, contacted the helpline of a local news channel offering to donate a kidney to Koppad. Pandey was deeply moved by Hanumanthappa's story ~ and we are deeply moved by this exemplary gesture. Long live such souls … Jai Jawan. With reverence – S.Sampathkumar
10^th Feb 2016