NEW YORK: Dr. Maryam Shoukat, a 27-year-old physician from Pakistan who had recently moved to the United States to pursue her medical residency, passed away on Sunday following acute liver failure.
She died tragically just half an hour before a scheduled liver transplant at Rutgers University Hospital in New Jersey.
Dr. Shoukat had come to the US with a dream of serving humanity and building a career dedicated to healing and compassion.
Earlier this month, she was suddenly diagnosed with severe liver failure and admitted to Rutgers University Hospital, where her health deteriorated at an alarming pace.
Specialists recommended an urgent liver transplant, after which her husband, Dr. Hamza Zafar, reached out to the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) for support.
Responding immediately, APPNA launched an emergency fundraising campaign and succeeded in raising nearly $400,000. In recognition of the overwhelming community effort, the hospital reduced the overall cost of the surgery from $900,000 to $450,000, making the procedure financially possible.
Dr. Shoukat was soon placed on the transplant list, and a compatible liver donor was identified. Hopes were high as arrangements for the critical surgery were finalized. However, just thirty minutes before the operation was due to begin, her condition deteriorated suddenly, and she could not be revived.
The devastating news has deeply shaken the Pakistani-American community as well as members of APPNA, who expressed profound sorrow over the loss of a young doctor who embodied dedication and humanity.
They paid tribute to her courage and determination, stating that although her life was cut tragically short, her dream of serving others will live on in the hearts of many.
