Lucknow, Jun 2 (IANS): A 21-year-old woman has saved her father by donating her liver for him.

Nisha Gupta also sacrificed one year of her career for this-she was pursuing B.A. (Hons) political science.

Sanjay Gupta, 51, a vegetable seller in Ghaziabad district, underwent a liver transplant at King George's Medical University (KGMU) on May 15.

While the donor was discharged earlier, the recipient was discharged on Thursday.

As per KGMU officials, the family had to spend only Rs 6.5 lakhs out of Rs 12 lakhs. The rest of the money was arranged by university faculty members with the help of social help groups.

Talking to reporters, Sanjay expressed his gratitude towards his daughter and said: "My daughter became a goddess for me, like Durga. May God bless every parent with a daughter like her.

"Some people still say that daughters are a burden, but they fail to understand that daughters are power."

Sanjay's son Avinash Gupta said: "We were depressed when my liver failed, along with that of my mother and my uncle, but thankfully my sister's organ matched."

Subsequently, counsellors at the organ donation unit of KGMU, Piyush Srivastava and Kshitiz Verma, briefed Nisha about the surgery and she gave her consent, he said.

A team of doctors led by KGMU vice chancellor Lt Gen (Retd) Prof Bipin Puri and headed by Prof Abhijeet Chandra of the surgical gastroenterology department, performed the procedure.

"We are really thankful to the doctors who not only performed surgery but also helped us arrange money and care for us," Avinash added.