I am pretty sure most of us have seen Breathe series which was highly publicized in the month of January and aired on Amazon Prime. The series was made to encourage organ donation in India. The protagonist is a desperate father of a 5 or 8-year old son, who needed an organ transplant for a long life, who goes on a killing spree to get a donor. It was well-played out in spite of the unsatisfying finale.
In few cases where a person’s brain has stopped showing any kind of activity even though the body is functioning artificially, the person is for all reasons dead in reality. It is difficult for people to understand that when their loved ones are put under artificial stimulation. In these cases, the body of the patient is suitable for vital organ donations and transplants.
Organ donation could be one of the biggest motivators for you and your family to lead a healthy life. The family health insurance plans are coming up with plans specific for organ donors, maternity benefit cover and preventive wellness services to ensure your health status and interestingly includes your entire extended family up to 19 members (calculate your premium using Mediclaim premium insurance calculator).
How to become a registered organ donor?
You can register yourself on the organ donation website – http://donatelifeindia.org/. A few points you should keep in mind.
- You must be above 18 years to become an organ donor
- Once you register to become a donor, you will be sent an organ donor card which you MUST carry on yourself at all times
- In India, ultimately the decision depends on the next of kin whether they allow your organs to be donated or not so please speak to your family and let them know your decision and wishes
- One of the biggest controversies surrounding organ donation is how it affects the funeral arrangements. A single incision is made to retrieve the organ and stitched back to make sure the body is in exactly the same shape as it was before.
Which Organs can be donated?
Vital Organs such as Heart, Lungs, Liver, Pancreas, Intestines and other Body Parts that include Eyes, Heart Tissue, Skin tissue, Bones, head of femur for hip replacements, and Hands in extremely rare cases.
Vital Organs can be retrieved only in a case wherein the person is brain dead but the heart is still beating. These organs die as soon as the heart stops pumping due to lack of blood. Thus, in cases of accidents or cardiac arrests, the vital organs usually become useless. Whereas, other body parts can still be retrieved from the donor’s body within 24 hours of death including the corneas.
Understanding Brain Death
Just recently, there was a sad incident in my husband’s extended family. His cousin met with an accident in which she and her father-in-law were declared spot dead. Her mother-in-law was brain dead and kept on ventilator for a few days. As soon as the ventilator was taken off, she was declared dead. As cold as it sounds, I wish the family had taken a decision to donate her organs before taking off the ventilator. It might have helped someone lead a healthy life.
In few cases where a person’s brain has stopped showing any kind of activity even though the body is functioning artificially, the person is for all reasons dead in reality. It is difficult for people to understand that when their loved ones are put under artificial stimulation. In these cases, the body of the patient is suitable for vital organ donations and transplants.
Organ Donation is probably the most difficult thing you could talk about to a person. How you choose to look at it is something up to your perspective but it would be a great move for the entire humanity if everyone takes responsibility to help others after they are no longer around.
Nice post.