August 6 was Organ Donation Day.
Last week, Sury sent me an email with a link to the organ donation day drive by the Times of India Group. He said, see how simple it is to do it, and true to his nature, promptly filled in the details in the online form and was done in two minutes.
Me, I procrastinated, thinking I’d do it the next day. I was in the middle of client work and just made a note in my diary. The next day, the link was no longer there. So I Google-d it and found I could do it via Facebook. Ah, problem solved. I signed an organ donation form to donate my organs.
I am overwhelmed to think that this simple act can make such a big difference in so many peoples’ lives.
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. Sir Winston Churchill
When my Mother was diagnosed with Interstitial Lung Disease in 1998 and the doctors gave her six months to a year to live, she laughed and said that she had seen her grandson, held him in her arms and she was ready for death, no matter when it happened. Then she told me, when we returned home, that she was pretty sure she had at least another ten years left. She lived for 12 more. I am pretty sure it was her attitude and will-power that kept her alive. And she was insistent that when she did cease to be, we should donate her body to a medical college.
When she passed away in 2010 and left us devastated, I remember feeling completely lost, frozen with the news. My brain kicked in a few moments later and I was nervous about how we would carry out her wish. We had not taken any steps to make arrangements. One thing she was adamant about was this: no last rites and no rituals. She advised us to help those in need, rather than spend it on expensive rituals. My family was furious but I am sure Mom would have been proud of me for standing up to them, thanks to Sury’s support.
That mental resolve literally attracted the help I needed to organize her body donation with a prestigious medical college. Everything went smoothly. I kept seeing her smiling, peaceful face. I was grateful. I couldn’t imagine what we would have done had we not been able to carry out her last wish. It was a scary thought.
You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. Kahlil GibranWhen I am gone, I don’t want those I leave behind to worry about how to carry out my own last wish, that of harvesting my organs to give life to others. So I am relieved that I was able to participate in the organ donation form organized by the Times of India group – they made it so easy to do it. I am told that I will receive an acknowledgment via email and also a donor card in a few weeks.
I am very happy I could do this.
What are your plans?
Will you donate your organs?
Will you give the gift of life?
Here are some facts about organ donation
Organ donation is the process of a person donating their organs for transplant. These are given to someone with damaged organs that need to be replaced.An organ transplant can save a person’s life, or help someone improve their health and quality of life.
You can be an organ donor no matter how old you are. Age doesn’t matter. What matters is your physical condition. The healthcare professional will decide which organs and tissue are suitable. Organs and tissue transplants from people in their 70s and 80s have been very successful.
The most common organs with long wait lists are the kidneys, heart, lungs or liver transplant. One, just one organ donor can help several people simply because she can donate several organs, including:
kidneys
liver
heart
lungs
small bowel
pancreas
Tissues that can be donated include:
the cornea (the transparent layer at the front of the eye)
bone
skin
heart valves
tendons
cartilage
You can choose which organs and tissues you wish to donate.
Do it. Save a life. Or seven.
In India http://apps.facebook.com/organdonationday
In the UK http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/how_to_become_a_donor/
In Australia http://www.donatelife.gov.au/decide/how-to-register
In Canada https://beadonor.ca/
In the USA http://donatelife.net/register-now/
Thank you Molly Hahn, aka Mollycules
Update:
I will be publishing the post with responses to the question ““What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for?” on Sunday, August 11, 2013. If you’ve authored an uplifting book or would like to recommend one, please let me know, with book title, a small blurb and link along with your answer to the question via the comments here, or via email (vidya at vidyasury dot com). Thanks!
Namaste!
I am glad you are here. May your day be filled with smiles!
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