Organ Donation: Make your death trigger several new lives

[This post will be updated regularly as and when I receive new information. In general this will be incorporated in the 'updates' section at the end of the post. Lest, please look for red colored fonts for latest updates on the matter.]

While I continue to be a firm believer in wrapping up all of my good deeds while alive, what has occupied my mind of late is an opportunity to keep up the good work even after death. There is little doubt that most of us, whoever we may be, want our lives to be meaningful. Now, there is a way to do the same with our death – by signing up to donate our organs after death. You would think that people must have embraced this possibility. Sadly, this hasn’t quite happened.

A number of chaps are still unwilling to contemplate death, let alone what-after-death. Perhaps, it means a negative thought to them. In my view, shying away from a universal, undisputed fact (read death) smells of negativity. Being positive is about accepting the realities that are out of your hand and making the most of those within your control. Surely, how you deal with your death is well within your control. Then, why not be positive and salvage someone’s life?

Some are concerned about the inconvenience caused to their parents/spouses/children at a time of unprecedented grief. Well, there is no work-around to this. But I would be dismayed to find someone choosing not to donate organs just to avoid this tiny trouble. If your parents have signed up for organ donation and (god forbid) something happens to them, wouldn’t you perform whatever formalities needed, with a sense of pride? In any event, the procedure is not that complex or time taking (Details at the end).

There also exists this misconception that the dead body gets disfigured after the removal of organs. The organs are actually removed very carefully and the body parts are stitched back with the same care that is provided to the living. The notion of organ donation is not only approved but also appreciated by all the major religions practiced. Furthermore, the process of donation comes at absolutely no cost to the donor.

Personally, the knowledge of organ donation had long been with me but it was pulled to the forefront by the problems faced by a friend whose father required liver transplantation, but was unable to find a donor. The waiting list ran into many a month. Something similar would have been witnessed by most of you, at some stage. But, is this issue being given as much thought as it deserves? Beneficiaries of organ transplantations are living proof that one death can give rise to more than one life and that one family’s sorrow can be turned to hope for a few others.

Did you know that you alone, with your organ donation, can save up to seven lives? The organs that can be transplanted include cornea (the outer layer of the eye), kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, skin, bone marrow and blood. India has seen an increasing number of eye donors (may be, we have the star power of Aishwarya to thank there!), but our apathy for donating other organs still persists.

Now, let me state the process of organ donation. It’s quite straight forward, contrary to the popular presumption. All you have to do is to tell all your relatives concerned about your decision of donating organs. Then, you simply sign a donor card along with two witnesses and preserve it [One of these witnesses needs to be a close relative while the other can be a friend or another relative]. Upon your death, your relatives just need to contact a near-by hospital. The rest of the work will be led by the hospital folks and the affiliated NGO(s).

You should carry the donor card with you at all times, so that even if you die in the absence of your relatives, any unknown person can get in touch with a hospital and get your organs donated. It also makes sense to attach a small note to the donor card, requesting whoever finds the body to do the above-mentioned. There are several organizations that issue it, as listed below in PS 2. You can also avail and print the donor card from the web (NNOS & MOHAN). It’s also possible to declare your wish online, although I don’t recommend it in India (Chennai liver Foundation & SGRH). For the law lovers, all of this is fully legal, as per the THO act.

Please bear in mind that declaring your wish for organ donation in your will may not work because by the time your will is opened/processed, your dead body may already have been cremated. It’s also important to note that your relatives play a key role in getting this noble act done. If they decide not to go ahead, even a letter signed by you may not help. So, do make sure to convince everyone that matters! Some of this may get emotionally tricky on occasions. But, if you are committed to the cause, no hindrance is tall enough.

[Updated]

I put forward Mr. Sekar’s query(see comments of this post) to some of the prominent organizations (Mohan, NNOS and Gangaram Hospital) supporting organ donation and it turns out that if the death occurs at home, only eyes can be donated. In order to donate the other organs, special ventilator support is required immediately after death, which is possible only in the hospital. But do not let this fact discourage you from pledging your organs, as you never know how you are going to meet your death. Many people die due to accidents in the hospitals, but since there isn’t enough awareness about the concept of organ donation, their organs go unutilized. So do spread the word, and most importantly, convince your loved ones about your wish and carry your donor card with you wherever you go.

Donating the cord blood of a new born baby – This is something new to me also. You can read more on it Umbilical cord blood is rich with blood-forming cells, that are no longer needed by your baby after delivery. But these cells may be needed by someone else – someone with a life-threatening disease like leukemia or lymphoma who needs a transplant to survive. Find out detailed information on it here.

Acknowledgment: Thanks to Pulkit for assisting me in the writing part of this exploration.

Addendum:

1. The image in this post depicts the donor card that I carry in my wallet. Please note that it is signed by two witnesses at the back.

2. MOHAN, Narmada Kidney Foundation, NNOS, EBAI, Chennai Liver Foudation, Sir Gangaram Hospital and Hinduja Hospital are a few of the organizations that facilitate organ donation/transplantation.

3. Organ donation is also possible for ‘Brain dead’ people [Details].

4. I have prepared this post based on my limited knowledge, acquired through several sources most of which were internet-based. If anyone has more info on the matter or wants to make corrections, please go ahead and contact me, so that I can amend this post.

5. Here’s an An inspiring short film produced by some friends.