Donor Memorial

• Mr. Ramesh   - 22 Years

  
  Date of Donation : 7/14/2010
  
  Mr. Ramesh, a 22-year-old young man, was a migrant worker from Andhra Pradesh. He had come to Chennai with his wife Kalarani in search of a livelihood. Kalarani was only 17 years old and the young couple had got married a year back. They found work as construction workers on a daily wage and since they could not afford to pay for a place of their own they set up home on a pavement. On the night of 12th July 2010, it was raining heavily; the young couple was looking for shelter to escape from the rain. They decided to stay the night in a partially constructed building opposite their pavement dwelling. Ramesh made his way first to the building and waited for his wife. Kalarani was trying to put the food she had cooked in a dry place. Ramesh came back for her and both of them made their way to the construction site. But unfortunately as they were entering the building, a heavy piece of masonry got dislodged and fell on Ramesh's head. He collapsed. Kalarani burst into sobs as she saw her husband lying unconscious. People in the adjacent building heard Kalarani's cries and rushed to the spot. They realized that Ramesh had sustained severe head injury and rushed him to a private hospital nearby. Kalarani watched helplessly as there was no one to turn to for support; she was illiterate and could speak only Telugu and not the local language, Tamil. Ramesh was admitted to the Government General Hospital on 13th July 2010. He was declared brain dead the same day after all the prescribed tests were done. The transplant coordinator from MOHAN foundation counselled Kalarani, about donating Ramesh's organs, with the help of another worker from the same group who knew Tamil. Kalarani and the other family members gave their consent for organ donation and through that noble gesture ensured that six lives were saved. The heart, liver, kidneys and eyes were donated on 14th July 2010. After the donation, when it was time to perform the final funeral rites for Ramesh, the transplant coordinators found out that the family didn't have enough money to go back to their hometown in Andhra Pradesh to do it. The cremation was then arranged in Chennai corporation crematorium. This is truly the humbling story of a young man and his wife who had nothing, but gave everything to six unknown people.