Posted On: 2021-08-31 07:12:19
Donation
A donation is a helping hand from you to someone who really needs it without the donor expecting anything in return. Donations can be made in any form, such as in the form of money to NGOs, food to the hungry, volunteering in beach cleanups, visiting old age homes and orphanages, clothing to people and helping them to survive the cold, toys to children, donating blood in blood donation camps, and sometimes even organs. Every donation makes a difference. We should donate and encourage everyone around us to donate as much as possible.
Organs
During school, we have all learnt that an organ is basically a group of tissues performing similar functions. All the organs together form the organ system. The human body relies on the major internal organs to survive and to reproduce as these organs perform vital functions. The vital internal organs are the brain that controls the thoughts, speech, memory, moment of legs and arms, the heart that pumps oxygen-rich blood, lungs that help in the removal of waste gases from the body and move fresh air in it, Liver that regulates most chemical levels in the blood and excretes a product called bile, a stomach that helps in digestion of food, kidney that cleanses the blood and transforms the toxins into the urine, intestines help in digestion of food, and a bladder that stores urine in it.
Humans may look different from each other on the outside but from the inside, they share identical organs.
Organ Failure
After an organ fails, the failure of vital organs is unalterable, and the only way to manage it is to be on heavy medications till an organ donor is matched with you, and the transplant takes place. The donated organ now works in place of the failed organ. You have to first register yourself as an organ recipient by a certified doctor.
The symptoms you should look out for if you think your organs are failing are experiencing Fatigues, Yellowing of the skin, Fever, Excessive weakness, Nausea, Constant pain in the upper abdomen (or other areas), Loss of appetite, Sleepiness, Weakening of concentration power, Bleeding disorders, Infections, Swelling, Fluid retention, High blood pressure, pain in the chest, Anemia, Shortness of breath, loss of memory, and Increased heart rate.
Organ Donation and transplantation
What is organ donation? Organ Donation is the surgical process of removing a healthy organ or tissue from a living person(Generally a kidney as humans can survive on one kidney and liver as it regenerates itself) or deceased person(donor) and transplanting it into another person(recipient) whose particular organ is malfunctioning.
What all organs can be donated? Vital organs like the Kidney, Liver, Heart, Lungs, Intestines, Pancreas, and tissues like skin, bone, veins, cornea, middle ear, connective tissues, uterus, and other tissues can be transplanted.
Types of organ donation- There are two types of organ donation: living and deceased organ donation.
Living organ donation is the type of donation where the organ is transplanted from a living patient to a person suffering from end-stage organ failure. Mostly this type of organ donation takes place in the case of kidney and liver transplants as the person can regrow the transplanted piece of liver and a person can live a healthy life on one kidney. A living donor is generally a near-relative spouse, son, daughter, brother, sister, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, or distinct relatives or friends authorized by the State Authorization Committee.
Deceased organ donation is the type of organ donation where the organ is transplanted from a person who has been declared brain stem dead by certified doctors. A person is declared brain stem dead when there is an irreversible loss of consciousness or life, there are non-existent brain stem reflexes, and irreparable damage to the brain.
Organ donation procedure?
The living donation process- The donor first needs to go under some medical evaluation to check the medical compatibility with the recipient. Once the donor is certified as a match to the recipient by doctors, the transplant procedure takes place. The required organ is then surgically removed from the donor’s body and kept in a chemical solution briefly till they are transplanted into the body of the recipient. The donor is kept under observation until the donor is declared fit by the doctors to go home. In many cases when the members of the family are not a match for organ donation with the patient, strangers come forward and help in saving the patient.
The deceased donation process- The deceased organ donation takes place when a person has suffered a fatal injury to the brain and is declared brain stem dead by certified doctors. The donor’s family is asked for consent for the donation of organs and once they give consent, the retrieval of organs takes place. The donor is kept on artificial life support and looked after by the doctors until the organ retrieval process is completed. The suitable recipients on the organs waiting list are notified to reach the hospital ASAP where the organs are transplanted in time as vital organs cannot survive outside the body for a long time. After retrieval of organs from the donor’s body, the body is handed over to the family for final rituals.
In some cases, people with end-stage diseases that have affected only some of their organs agree to their healthy organs being donated after their death and sign on the papers in advance.
Note: Once removed from the body, the heart and lungs can survive for 4-6 hours, liver can be preserved up to 24 hours, intestines can survive for 8-16 hours, the pancreas can last for about 12-18 hours, healthy kidneys can survive 36- 48 hours, and the tissue can be preserved for about 60 days when placed in proper chemicals at the appropriate temperature and advanced care.
How can one become an organ donor?
You can become an organ donor by filling a simple online pledge form https://www.organindia.org/claim-your-donor-card/?gclid=CjwKCAjwmqKJBhAWEiwAMvGt6HlG03gJZuLkUPJGMEKmNKf_MT97bQ8InfQl4FFjwoVlyL2LJOF_sxoCrL4QAvD_BwE.
After registering, you will get a donor card with a unique government registration number. You will be registered with the National Organ Tissue Transplant Organisation(NOTTO). Although this donor card does not carry any legal weight, the card will help the doctors convince your next of kin to let your organs be donated.
How can we take care of our organs?
Our physical health affects our overall health and majorly impacts our emotional wellbeing. This physical health is dependent on organs, and without healthy organs, you become unhealthy. These are some measures you can take to keep your organs healthy:
1.Staying Hydrated, as water helps your kidneys to cleanse your blood from toxins.
2.Eating a balanced diet keeps the body healthy and functioning.
3.Exercise, helps you to decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, build strength, improves the weight, and help you to sleep.
5.Stop smoking and drinking as it harms the liver and kidneys.
6.Keep your sugar levels and blood pressure in check.
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding has played a significant role in helping people that are trying to find funds for their illness or for someone close to them. Crowdfunding acts as a bridge between people who can help and people who need help and looking at the severity of some illnesses people fund them out of sympathy and empathy.
End-stage organ failures require immediate transplants and each of these transplants costs in lakhs which, for a middle-class person to arrange single-handedly is difficult and let alone for an unprivileged person. This is where crowdfunding platforms come in and helps the needy to arrange funds for organ transplants.
Sia Samantha, a 9-year old girl from Mumbai was diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia ( a rare genetic disease decreasing blood cells in the body). She was undergoing treatment in Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital where she was on regular medication and blood and platelet transfusion. The doctors suggested a stem transplant as her condition was worsening by the day. Luckily, the donor that had the exact match of blood cells was met for Sia, as her brother was a 100% match. The only problem was monetary. The total cost of the transplant was Rs. 16,50,000. Sia’s father was unable to afford the transplant as he had not worked for 3 months to look after her. The family approached Child Help Foundation(CHF), an NGO, for financial help and CHF, in turn, raised a campaign on Filaantro, a crowdfunding platform to help Sia. The total amount was soon raised with the help of donors and the transplant was a success. You can read more about it on: https://filaantro.org/fundraiser/view/sia
Kunal Basre, a 13-year-old from Pune is suffering from End-Stage Renal Disease(a Kidney disease) and is undergoing treatment and regular hemodialysis in Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. He has been advised to undergo Living Renal Transplant. The cost of the transplant has been estimated to be Rs. 75,00,000. Kunal’s father being a tuition teacher and sole earner of the family is unable to bear the expenses for Kunal’s transplant. His father reached out to Filaantro, a crowdfunding platform to raise funds for his son’s treatment. His state is critical and funds for the transplant need to be raised immediately. Help him!! Read more and support at https://filaantro.org/fundraiser/view/help-Kunal
Unfortunately, as there is very low awareness about organ donation in India, there is a huge shortage of the organs needed for organ transplantation in the country. Although more than 1.5 lakh brain stem deaths are registered due to accidents, the organ donation rate is still 0.86 per million population. Many people also fear donating their organs due to the various myths that exist regarding the same which needs to be busted. More awareness needs to be made about organ donation so that more lives can be saved.
“Organs are vital but they don’t make us humans, humanity does.
Donate organs, and save lives.”
Author : Hritika Singh
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