Donor Memorial

• Ms. Nongmaithem Karina Devi   - 17 Years

  
  Ms. Nongmaithem Karina Devi, a 17-year-old student in the 11th standard, aspired to become a top-notch lawyer in the state. On the night of April 01, 2024, around 2200 hours, she suddenly shouted from her room. Family members rushed to her aid and found her unresponsive to commands, experiencing a seizure. Initially treated at Asian Hospital, Kwakeithel, Imphal-West, Manipur (a multi-speciality hospital) located just 0.5 km from her residence, her condition indicated the need for care from a Neurologist or Neurosurgeon. Mrs. Waikhom Shusila Devi, Karina's mother, requested to transfer her to Shija Hospitals and Research Institute Pvt. Ltd. (SHRI), Langol, Manipur, where she was admitted on April 02, 2024. Karina was diagnosed with pontine haemorrhage with generalized tonic-clonic Seizure, leaving Mrs. Shusila devastated upon learning of her daughter's condition.
  
  Months earlier, during a radio health talk on corneal donation & transplantation broadcasted by All India Radio, Imphal, Dr. N. Reagan Singh, a Corneal Transplant Surgeon and Director In-Charge of Manipur State Eye Bank, discussed the topic. Inspired by the talk, Karina expressed her desire to donate her corneas & organs in her final moments, affirming the goodness of organ donation to her mother. Mrs. Shusila, now grief-stricken, lamented, "If only I had known she expressed her wishes because her time was limited, I would have cherished her more."
  
  After two sets of Apnoea tests conducted on April 03, 2024, Karina was declared brain dead. Counselled by the team of MOHAN Foundation and the brain death committee of SHRI, Mr. Gojen Singh, Karina's father, expressed, "We love her deeply, and though we pray for a miracle, her wishes outweigh our emotions. She was willing to donate her organs while alive, and we will honour that after her passing." Karina's kidneys and corneas were donated.
  
  Representatives from MOHAN Foundation, Manipur State Eye Bank, SHRI, and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences visited Karina's family before the Shraddha ceremony to express gratitude and present a certificate of appreciation. The family's decision to facilitate the donation was deeply appreciated by the team.
  
  In the midst of tragedy, Karina planted seeds of hope in someone else's garden.