A group of 8 motivated individuals underwent  the Module 2 of the Organ Donation Ambassadors training on August 17, 2024. As part of the training, there was an interaction with experts, a Gratitude Workshop. 

The Module 2 started with a short summation of the Training and expectations by Dr Hemal Kanvinde, followed by self introduction by all the candidates. One of the ambassadors  is a kidney transplant recipient.

The second session was interactions with experts in the field of donation and transplantation.  The experts were: 

Dr S C Tiwari Retd, HOD Dept of Nephrology, AIIMS, New Delhi,

Dr. Rohini Motwani, Dept of Anatomy, AIIMS, Hyderabad,

Ms Jaya Jairam, Project Director MF, Mumbai,

Mr Raghavan, Transplant Coordinator, Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru,

Dr. Muneet Kaur Sahi, Programme Manager MF, Delhi NCR and 

Dr. Hemal Kanvinde Q&A Officer MOHAN Foundation. 

The volunteer ambassadors were quick to interact with the experts. Discussions were on life of a CKD patient before and after transplant.   Importance of taking medicines life long. Prof Tewari explained the importance of a donation and gave his tips to the recipient ambassador to do well. 

Ambassadors also discussed whole body donation, what are the criteria to register and process for donation at time of death. Dr. Rohini explained well and it was informative to the ambassadors. 

Mr. Raghavan shared the case studies which he handled in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai. His presentation brought forward the concept of grief counseling and supporting a family in times of grief in a hospital setting. 

Ms. Jaya Jairam shared her life story post her transplant.

The group then settled for a Gratitude Workshop conducted by Dr Muneet Kaur Sahi. She spoke of the donor family and the feelings of a recipient. She asked the candidates to write as if they have received an organ and wish to express their gratitude to the donor families. The trainees read out their letters, Dr Muneet commented on them. It was an emotional session for all the candidates.

The last session was on ways to create awareness on organ donation. This session was conducted by Dr Hemal Kanvinde, wherein she showed the different modes of creating awareness, from basic talks and rallies to conferences and using online platforms and using art and local culture to get the message across. 

The Ambassadors were thankful for the session and promised to start their activities. They also expressed their wish to be linked with other ambassadors.