By Sunil Singh 
When 12-year-old Rehaan Ali from Lucknow was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, his family’s world turned upside down. With no matching donors in the family and a long government waitlist, doctors gave him less than a year without a transplant.
In desperation, Rehaan’s mother, Farida, posted a heartfelt plea on Facebook: a photo of her son hooked to dialysis, alongside a message simply asking:
“If you have O+ blood and want to save a child’s life, please read this.”
The post went viral within days.
Thousands shared it. Hundreds commented. But one comment changed everything.
The Kolkata Connection
700 kilometers away, Sourav Mukherjee, a 37-year-old schoolteacher in Kolkata, saw the post while scrolling during lunch. He didn’t know Rehaan. He wasn’t even a regular blood donor. But something struck him.
“I looked at the boy’s face. I saw my nephew. I thought, ‘If not me, then who?’” Sourav said.
He reached out. He got tested. He was a match.
Just 6 weeks later, Sourav was in Lucknow, undergoing pre-transplant evaluations. He took leave from work, against his family’s initial objections, and quietly told his friends, “I’m just helping someone.”
A New Life for Rehaan
The surgery was successful. Today, Rehaan is back in school, stronger than ever.
Sourav doesn’t consider himself a hero.
“It’s not just about blood types or organs,” he says. “It’s about being human.”
Their story has since inspired hundreds of organ donor sign-ups across India.