Gift of Life- Organ Donation

Introspection@ Charity and Donation: Organ Donation the Essence of Humanity

Charity and donation are two very noble words which connect across all race, caste, creed, passport color and define the gentle Soul of Humanity. Festive occasions do compel our soul to make good on these effort to the lesser privileged and it is best delivered when done in deep silence minus a murmur- Let not the Left Hand know- what your Right Hand delivered.

Well, life looks cool and zinger when things are in the youthful essence all and so it was for me during my military career posted high-up in the high altitude which was fun for a Delhi boy in me till a bout of cough caught up and later turned out to be asthma. It seemed like the world had turned up-side down in my mid-30’s and the unwritten stigma of Infantry officer being admitted in the Military Hospital, for an ailment which many perceived as a simple cough.

Nevertheless, my sojourn at MH brought me alongside a younger colleague in his mid-20’s my roommate in the hospital ward who had both his eyes covered with bandages and very feeble to talk. While I, would at times lament my asthmatic diagnosis- a week later the neighbor was better and wanted me to walk him to the dining room for breakfast and when we got talking I, realized while I developed asthma, the young lad here had lost both his eyes in a landmine blast but his spirit was alive and ticking. I was told he would have to wait here till someone gifted him the Gift of an Eye to help him get his life back on track.

The realization was surreal and made me realize that while I had read / heard- Organ Donation is the Gift of Life- I had never experienced it so closely and opted to take this “Life Live course” thus opening up a can of Questions- Why You/ Why so Early, etc.

The extract of my Q/A that tried to cloud my decision are summarized as under –

·        Will My Family Agree- Well you will be surprised the doubt is in our minds and the family is a support system which will do its best to fulfil the departing wishes of their kith and kin. It takes a small bit of persuasion for us to make our families aware of the thought behind this charity and found it was easier for my son to understand this and his assurance to do the needful when it was time for my exit.

·        Why Me- Exactly a Great Q indeed and rather we might ask ourselves, Why not Me- after all there are plenty of case when people who have known each other less have come forward to donate plasma to save folks in Covid distress who were not known to them- yet the benevolent deed was done when it mattered most and selflessly. Someone must bell the cat- so lead by personal example.

·        What Can I Donate- There are plenty of things what we use in our lifetime and must post a sign-off decree for them to be donated to the needy and what can be a better donation if you can help post your departure rather than let them perish.

·        The Gift is Unique- It is the most noble gift, it defines us and surely these gifts are not available in Khan market – so when you have your calling to do it- This will be a unique gift and the recipient will give us infinite gratitude of a lifetime.

My two-penny learning on this is -while each one of us is benevolent by nature and the easiest thing to donate is any form is $$$ however it has little real time value, sooner or later it will be exhausted or inflation will diminish its glow.

However, there can be No better charity than the Gift of an Organ- We all have equal opportunity to donate and the decision maker here is Ourselves. Use it in your lifetime and let it be recycled, reused once you do not need it; I have done mine- maybe you can explore this thought as a Good deed this festive season and make your call.

-      Col Harendra Bana.