Surat (Gujarat) [India], August 9: An extraordinary moment that embodies love, emotion, and humanity has touched hearts across the nation today. In September 2024, 9-year-old Riya Boby Mistry was declared brain-dead at Surat’s Kiran Hospital. Through the noble efforts of Donate Life, her hands were donated — marking a historic milestone, as Riya became the youngest child in the world to donate hands at such a tender age.
Riya’s right hand was successfully transplanted by Dr. Nilesh Satbhai at Global Hospital, Mumbai, into 15-year-old Anamta Ahmed, a resident of Goregaon. This wasn’t just a miracle for one family, but a revival of love and hope for two. Through this transplant, not only did a new life bloom, but today, the essence of sisterly love came alive once more in the life of Riya’s own brother.
The moment Anamta tied the rakhi on Shivam’s wrist was filled with overwhelming emotion. With tears in their eyes, Riya’s family watched as the hands of their beloved daughter tied the sacred thread on her brother. “Riya is gone, but her touch isn’t,” said a family member.” Today, Shivam had a rakhi tied by those very hands.” Through this powerful gesture, an unbreakable thread of emotion, memory, and love was woven — beyond loss, beyond words.
Stepping into the delicate phase of youth, Anamta didn’t just receive a pair of hands — she was given wings, gifted in the name of Riya. Her entire family holds deep gratitude towards Riya’s loved ones, Donate Life, and the team of doctors who made this miracle possible. And so, this Raksha Bandhan, Anamta Ahmed travelled to Valsad — not just to fulfil a tradition, but to honour a sacred debt. When she tied the Rakhi on Shivam’s wrist — with the very hands that once belonged to Riya, his late sister — an extraordinary Raksha Bandhan was born. This act of organ donation, through Riya’s hands, became a divine symbol this Raksha Bandhan — a true embodiment of both Ishwar and Allah’s grace.
At R.J.J. School in Valsad, Shivam, a 10th-grade student and brother of the late Riya, found himself overwhelmed with emotion. He kept gently touching the hands of his beloved younger sister, now living through Anamta Ahmed, whose arms had been amputated up to the shoulders and replaced through a successful transplant with Riya’s donated hands. With every touch, the familiar warmth of Riya seemed to come alive again. In that tender moment, it felt as if his little sister hadn’t left — she was right there, holding his hand once more.
Riya’s parents, Bobby and Trishna, shared their heartfelt emotions, saying, “It feels as if Riya has returned to us. Her Rakhi… her touch… it all feels so real, so alive once more.” They gently held Anamta’s hands — the very hands once belonging to their daughter — and embraced her as their own, pouring out love and affection as if Riya herself had come home.
Anamta Ahmed shared, “I have no words to truly express my gratitude to Riya’s family.” In October 2022, I lost my right arm up to the shoulder due to an electric shock — and with it, I lost all light in my life. Everything felt dark and hopeless.”
A Thought
Riya’s passing became a blessing — a sacred offering that united two families, two faiths, and two hearts. In the hands Riya once called her own lived a bond reborn.
“Riya may be gone, but her touch lingers… Today, it was with those very hands that a sister tied Rakhi to her brother — love reborn, through loss.”
On 17th September 2024, the hands of 9-year-old Riya Boby Mistry were donated through Donate Life. When those hands were transplanted onto me, it felt like my life had been given a second chance — a brand-new beginning. And today, with those very hands, I tied a Rakhi on Riya’s brother. In Shivam, I’ve found a brother… and in Riya’s memory, a bond that will live forever.”
Mr. Nilesh Mandalewala, President of Donate Life, shared, “This is not just a celebration of Raksha Bandhan — it is a powerful message to the world that humanity is the greatest religion of all.”
From the skies above to the earth below, from temples to mosques — it wasn’t the echo of any one religion, but the resounding call of humanity that stirred every heart present.
Through the efforts of Donate Life, a total of 1,336 organs and tissues have been donated — including 542 kidneys, 235 livers, 57 hearts, 52 lungs, 9 pancreases, 8 hands, 1 small intestine, and 432 pairs of eyes.
These life-saving donations have brought new life and vision to 1,232 individuals across India and abroad, offering them not just survival — but a renewed chance at living with dignity and hope.
Divya Agarwal
