On August 11, 2016 MOHAN Foundation was invited to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct an awareness talk. The session was a part of the Times of India ongoing campaign on organ donation.
PwC India provides industry-focused audit and assurance, consulting and tax services to public, private and government clients in all markets. The talk was coordinated by Ms Richa Negi, North Corporate Responsibility Coordinator.
Ms Pallavi started the session by asking the audience the need for discussing organ donation, in order to engage the audience and gauge their level of information about the topic. She then explained the rational basis of the need, which is the difference between demand and supply gaps of organs in India. The audience was told who can be an organ donor and what all organs can be donated, depending on what kind of death they will have etc. This lead to a discussion about brain death. Many of them had heard about the term, but lacked clarity. Ms Pallavi showed the 5 minutes video on brain death that provided a comprehensive understanding to all. Followed by this she explained THO act, contraindications to organ donation, causes of brain death, etc. Lastly, the myths related to organ donation were discussed. The audience came up with many queries which were handled by the resource persons.
One of the employees expressed his wish to donate his father’s pace maker to a nedy person. His father died waiting due to lack of timely availability of a heart for his transplant. The son said that his small donation might be of some help to some needy who cannot afford such expensive equipment.
Around 21 people attended the session and 16 donor cards were picked.
The second session at Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) was held in the boardroom at Building no 10C at Cyber City, Gurgaon. Dr. Muneet Kaur Sahi conducted the session.
Since it was a small group of 8-10 people, the session became very interactive and extended significantly beyond the stipulated time of one hour. Dr. Muneet began the session by enquiring from the participants whether anyone had anything to share regarding organ donation or transplantation. Ms. Richa Negi who had organised the session shared with the group that her mother had donated one of her kidneys to her father 14 years back. She recalled her struggle in those days when transplants were uncommon due to grave risk of transplant failure from graft rejection. Though her father died just two years after the transplant she shared, Quote Unquote "not once did my family repent not having undergone kidney transplantation as it gave an extended lease of life to my father." "You two have now been literally proclaimed, 'Made for each other,' she added which brought a smile onto to everyone's face.
10 donor cards were picked up at the end of the talk.