The second batch of Angels of Change had their second session on December 14, 2015 as part of their ongoing training and sensitization under Volunteers for Organ Donation Program. In this session the students got an opportunity to interact with donor and recipient families. The main objective of this session was to help the volunteers understand the motivations of a donor family and what drives them to take this very brave decision of donating their loved ones organs. Also with the help of sharing by recipients of organs, it gives them a chance to understand the ordeal of a family who are waiting to receive an organ from any source so that their loved ones have a new lease of life.
Mr. Binod Jha, husband of a 44 year old deceased organ donor shared with the students how he decided to donate his wife's organs. When his wife was declared brain dead, he says it wasn't difficult to convince him to give his consent for organ donation as his wife had expressed her desire to be an organ donor to her family while she was alive. Binod Jha believes that his wife still lives through all those people who have are gifted a new life through her organs. He also pointed put to the volunteers how superstitions are the main cause of low rates of organ donation and how increased awareness among the people on the south is the main reason for organ donation to be widely accepted. He congratulated the students for undertaking to spread the word of organ donation and offered whatever support the could.
The students also interacted with Rajeev and his wife. Rajeev recently underwent a liver transplant as he had liver cancer and transplantation was the only option. The family had a tough time finding a suitable donor and finally Rajeev's aunt came forward to donate a portion of her liver. The couple shared the agony that they underwent in the one month that the doctor had given them to find a donor. The wife was not a matching donor and Rajeev's brother who agreed to donate was diagnosed with Hepatitis B. Rajeev and his wife strongly feel that everyone should pledge to donate their organs so that people don't have to struggle to find an organ and also that no healthy person should have to undergo a knife. Rajeev mentioned that though the cost of transplantation was covered by their insurance he also feels that the living donor should also have some insurance policies, as their life also gets affected after the transplantation. He also explained to the volunteers how the intention of donating an organ from a live donor to a recipient is checked by a stringent committee.
The volunteers then met Abhay, a 12 year old boy who received a corneal transplant a few months ago. Abhay shared that he lost his eyesight at the age of 8 - the doctors could not provide a reason for the same. However, post the corneal transplant, he can see again and pursue his studies and other activities. He has regained 85% of his sight.
By the end of the session the Volunteer felt motivated and driven by the cause. After experiencing the joy of a donor's family and the apathy experienced by a patient waiting for an organ, they felt that organ donation is one cause that needs to be aggressively propagated at a large scale.
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