|
Honoring organ donor
families during organ donor awareness week takes pride of place among all other
initiatives undertaken to promote organ
donation awareness. It takes courage to move past the time of grief as soon
as a dear one is declared ‘brain dead’ and decide to donate the organs so other
lives can live on.
The Governor of Tamil Nadu, South India, His
Excellency Dr. Rosaiah graced an occasion organized by MOHAN Foundation
(Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network) to give due recognition to 26 organ donor
families in Tamil Nadu. At the special function held at Raj Bhavan on Thursday
9th August, the Governor felicitated the families of deceased organ
donors and commended them for their brave decision that gave a new lease of life
to many others.
In his welcome address, Dr. Sunil Shroff, Managing
Trustee, MOHAN Foundation, said organ transplantation was one of the greatest
achievements of modern science and that wouldn’t be possible without organ
donations, especially in the event of brain death where multiple organs could
be donated. “Death can bring life and sorrow can turn to joy when the courage
and conviction of donor families prompt them to say ‘Yes” to organ donation,”
Dr. Shroff said. “MOHAN Foundation honors such brave families each year for
their unique experience and we should all draw inspiration from these brave
people,” he added.
Congratulating MOHAN
Foundation for organizing the Organ Donor Week and for promoting organ
donation, the Governor of Tamil Nadu said, “I am pleased to honor organ donor
families for their act of benevolence. Tamil Nadu stands high in organ donation
rate and is 15 times the national average. The initiatives taken by the Govt.
of Tamil Nadu under its Cadaver Transplant Program and the joint efforts put on
by voluntary organizations like MOHAN Foundation to form a network to facilitate organ transplantation and organ donation
deserves appreciation.”
The governor said he
was pleased to learn that a MoU has been
signed between MMC and MOHAN Foundation to place transplant coordinators in
Rajiv Gandhi Govt. General Hospital and appreciated the Tamil Nadu Police
for “creating a green channel system to facilitate quick transportation of the
organs without any delay.”
The governor released
the 35th edition of the Indian Transplant Newsletter and felicitated
the people who took deceased organ donation forward—members of the medical
community and Cognizant Foundation for providing MOHAN Foundation with
e-learning classroom facilities to train grief/transplant coordinators. Dr. J.
Amalorpavanathan, Convenor, Cadaver Transplant Program introduced the doctors
who were felicitated by the governor, Dr. N. Muthurajan, Deputy DME, Dr. K.
Deiveegan, Dr. R. Venkatachalam, Dr. B. Santhakumar (General Hospital) Dr. M.
Dhanraj, Dr. Anita Cherian (Apollo Hospitals) Dr. K. Sridhar, Dr. K.
Ilankumaran (Global Hospitals).
Members of the donor
families who shared their heart wrenching experiences with the media stood
tall, despite the wave of sadness and grief that the occasion brought to
memory, alongside the honor. Mrs. Mahalakshmi donated the organs of her husband
Mr. Srinath who was declared ‘brain
dead’ following brain hemorrhage, when grief counselors approached her with
the suggestion. The brave mother of 3 children says she consoles herself with
the thought that her husband will live through other people’s lives when they
receive his organs.
Mrs. Jayalakshmi of
Thirukovilur, Villupuram district lost her 43-year-old husband, Mr. S.V.
Srinivasan in a road accident last
month. She says it was a collective decision by her close family members to
donate her deceased husband’s organs so other people in dire need of organs can
benefit from his parting gift.
Mrs. Kamala and Mr.
Karvannan lost their 12-year-old daughter Gokulapriya in a road accident a
couple of months ago. A speeding motorbike knocked her down as she was
returning from school in her native Namakkal district. She was first rushed to
a hospital in Salem with severe head injury and later referred to a hospital in
Chennai where she was declared ‘brain dead.’ Their family doctor advised them
on organ donation and the couple readily cooperated with doctors to facilitate
donation of their child’s organs. “My
daughter is gone. What will I do with her organs? That’s why I gave it away to
others who can use it and live,” said the mother tearfully.
Organ donations offer
a fresh lease of life to thousands of patients languishing for want of an organ
or tissue transplant. A greater awareness in society on the dire need of organ
donation needs to pick up fast so more organs will be available for transplant
to save precious lives.
Get a donor card
today. Let your dear ones know of your decision to donate your organs in the
event of a mishap. Spread the word about the importance of organ donation.
Saving lives is that easy!
To download an Organ Donor card visit
www.mohanfoundation.org/downloads.asp
Source-Medindia
-ACT,-2011.gif){kind=spacer}
