Call: 98330 48144
Pledge Organs

We have started the CY Pal Educational Grant, to know more click here

Date: March 14, 2022

Dearth of money can’t cost a life

Become an organ donor

Do you wish to live even after leaving the world? No, not by becoming a celebrity. There are other ways, too, to become immortal. In my opinion, the best way is by becoming an organ donor. It means filling up space in someone’s life. It is terrible to live with a damaged or no organ. An organ is like a part of a  machine, where a machine stops working when a single component gets damaged. Similarly, a human body cannot function efficiently without an organ. If you can offer that missing part to someone in need, someone whose life depends on it – then why not? Whether post-death or even as you are alive, you are enough capable of saving up to 8 lives. The power to give rebirth; is no less than a boon. 

Moreover, let me tell you that it’s not necessary to donate only after death. Living organ donations are also possible. You can even donate certain organs while you are alive. You just need to come forward and bring others too. You can either visit the website of ‘TRANSPLANT HELP THE POOR FOUNDATION’  or ‘NATIONAL ORGAN AND TISSUE TRANSPLANT ORGANISATION’. There you fill in the pledge form and step ahead toward the donation.

But before that, you need to know a little more about transplantation.

Transplantation  

Organ transplantation is a lifesaving process wherein an organ is removed and replaced from one human body to another. An organ can be taken from both cadaver donors and living individuals.  

A living donor – means a near relative defined by Law who is generous to donate a part of his / her liver for a liver transplant and a kidney in the case of a kidney transplant. In this situation, the willing donor is operated upon to remove a part of the liver or a kidney at the same time as the recipient patient waiting for the organ transplant. Usually, there is no risk to the donor in this case and he or she can live a normal life after donating the organ.  In the case of a liver donor, the liver regrows back to its normal size in about 6 months and in the case of donating a kidney, one of the kidneys can be donated and both the donor and the recipient can continue their normal life with one kidney. However, it is not possible to donate a heart by a living donor. 

Cadaver Donor – Here the patient or his family needs to register with the local Transplant Coordination Committee available in every state, for instance -the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) in the case of Mumbai. Then you are put on the waiting list to receive an organ from an unknown brain-dead person. The waiting period can range from 6 and 12 months. Now let’s see what all organs can be transplanted: 

  • Kidney  
  • Liver  
  • Pancreas  
  • Heart 
  • Lung 
  • Intestine 
  • Corneas 
  • Middle ear 
  • Skin 
  • Bone 
  • Bone marrow 
  • Heart valves 
  • Connective tissue 
  • Vascularized composite allografts (transplant of several  structures that may include skin, uterus, bone, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue) 

Organ Transplant Fundraising 

A person has to face several challenges from the beginning to the end of transplants. As mentioned above there are several organs that have enough potential to be transplanted. But the process of finding a suitable donor can take a lot of time, sometimes a month or even a year. This duration can even cost a life. 

The next challenge is to locate the right hospital and surgeon for the transplantation reason being that every hospital does not have the required infrastructure and skills. Moreover, the challenges do include finance. Especially for underprivileged people, it is hard to find enough funds for transplants. This is the toughest challenge of all because even a single transplantation can cost you a fortune if you are the recipient. After a long wait for an organ match, lack of funds should not be the reason that someone loses out on life. Though there is no cost for the donor. The donation itself is a valuable thing. But for the recipient, a liver transplant can cost Rs. 15 to 20 lakh, a kidney transplant can cost about Rs. 6 lakhs, and a heart transplant may cost Rs. 20 to 25 lakhs. It is not possible for everyone to afford the cost of a transplant. And even if they do, it is difficult to let it all go at once. 

The solution to such a challenge is crowdfunding transplants. It can be a quick and effortless way to meet such unanticipated necessities. There are organizations that contribute some of the amount themselves from their organization’s fund and the rest of the amount is raised through crowdfunding. You can raise small amounts from generous donors online. Boosting digital access and the comfort of online payments are leading more and more Indians towards the digital route to mobilize greater assistance for needs in crucial times.  

There are several NGOs and crowdfunding organizations, one of them being Transplant India. Transplant India can assist you in paying off the surgery costs without utilizing your family’s savings.  

The organization’s objective is to promote as many patients as they can for liver, kidney, and heart transplants and they provide financial assistance, especially to underprivileged patients. It furthermore, aims at enhancing education and awareness, encouraging both cadavers as well as live donations. 

It has undoubtedly been a game-changer for numerous underprivileged sections of society. People can utilize the donated funds for a wide range of health-related needs, including direct medical care, prescriptions, and the costs of travel to and from hospitals. 

Donations from crowdfunding enabled tens of thousands of people to avail medical care while saving lives in the process. This assistance is available by fulfilling a few simple steps that are mentioned below: 

(I) Provide the letter by the doctor, certifying the need for the organ.

(II) Details about the transplant required and the total cost of surgery including hospital stay and every other expense related to the surgery. 

(III) The foundation’s Financial Aid form, duly filled in, with all the details mentioned therein along with the information about the maximum contribution the family can make towards the transplantation cost. 

(IV) A reliable proof of family income and identity details like an Aadhar Card, photograph, etc. duly endorsed by the hospital. 

Once the request is completed, the organization processes the application further by approving and conveying the assistance as soon as possible – generally, within a week. The funds approved by the organization are always sent to the hospital concerned, closer to the date of the transplant.