Organ Donation - Live on Through Others
- 10 Aug 2017
- Sunaya
- Features
The term 'organ donation' might sound 'not-meant-for-me' or even plain scary to a lot of people. However, life is undeniably the greatest gift. A lot of people may think that life can't be 'shared'. Well, think again. You can be the light in a pair of young eyes, the rhythm of a beating heart or the coolness of breath in a pair of healthy lungs.
1.28 Billion and Counting but Few Step Forward
Statistics provided by Organ India, an initiative by the Parashar Foundation, a Delhi based NGO that aims “to create an ecosystem to facilitate organ donation in India”, tell us that about 5 lakh people across the nation die every year due to non-availability of organs.
Fortis Organ Retrieval and Transplant estimates that in India, a whopping one lakh people are in line for a new liver, about 2.2 lakh people await kidney transplantation around 10 lakh people need corneal transplantation. Another 50,000 await heart transplants and yet another 20,000 are in need of lung transplantation. Organ India has also made a comparative study of organ donation between India, Spain, Croatia and the United States of America. In 2014, it was found that 36 persons per million of population donated organs in Spain, 35 donated in Croatia, 27.02 donated in the United States, whereas only 0.34 donated in India. Unavailability of organs has also led to the growth and boom of a network of illegal organ trading.
Awareness can go a long way in convincing people that the organs are of no use to anyone in their graves. A single deceased donor can donate several organs and save many lives at the same time.
The Real Heroes
Often, the real heroes are the families of the deceased or brain dead donors, who find the strength to be the light of another family. The key decision of organ donation lets them see their loved one go on to save other lives through a noble death. Once you have made your decision to donate, it is best to discuss with your family and let them know that it is what you really want.
The Second Lap
This Organ Donation Day, on August 13th, 2017, Yes Bank and Excel 2017 will organise ‘The Second Lap’, a ten-kilometre mini marathon in Kochi. Hundreds of participants will run for health, peace and happiness, sharing the message of a second chance of life to others. At ‘The second lap’, participants may pledge their organs and become immortal, giving needy ones another lap of life. If you choose to be a living donor, you share life with someone in need of it. If you choose to donate your organs after death, then you don't really die at all.
There are people out there dying to live. Let's donate and share life.
