On February 13, 2016, MOHAN Foundation conducted an awareness session on organ donation at a prayer meeting conducted by St.Pius X  Church,Dwarka.

St.Pius X Church, Dwarka is a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church with nearly 120 families. They have their regular prayer meeting every month in different groups. Mareena Thomas, Programme Officer, Delhi NCR is part of the St.Thomas prayer unit. In every prayer meeting, there is a time assigned for anyone who wants to put across their view point for a discussion. Ms. Mareena, Program Officer (Delhi-NCR) offered to share the message of organ donation.

The main message that was clarified among the participants was that only a brain dead person is eligible to donate the organs.

“When we are dead in the case of brain death then how does the heart continue beating?” asked a very curious 12th standard boy James. Mareena explained that the heart is independent of the brain and has its own pacemaker that keeps it beating.

Retd. Lieutenant Colonel Alphonse Kannanthara, who trains nurses at Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon was also adding to the information provided by Mareena. She shared with the gathering how she motivates all the nursing students for organ donation.

Mr. Sebastian shared an unpleasant experience where in a hospital he met a person who was facing a lot of difficulty when he wanted to donate the eyes of a relative. Mareena explained that lack of awareness was the main reason for such incidents – both amongst the public and the medical fraternity. Mareena also provided the group with the toll free number that they could call in case they needed any information on organ donation.

The young students who attended the talk were very enthused. One of them said he would like to arrange a session in his school once his board exams were over. The parish priest Fr. Paul Kudian was also present at the meeting and promised to have a similar session at the parish level.

There were 40 participants at the session.