“Without my heart transplant I would not have lived to celebrate my 18th birthday” says young Sunita, with a twinkle in her eyes. As her mother looks at her with love, and overwhelming sense of gratitude to the unknown family that donated their son’s heart, lungs, eyes and liver, to different people, in an act of complete love and generosity. So, how much does it cost to donate your own organs or those of a dear one just departed. Nothing but love – love for another soul in distress.

All you need to do is pledge your organs. Just sign up with National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), which is a Central Government organisation. All you need to do is go to www.notto.nic.in and take the donor pledge. Download the pledge form, print it out, tick the organs/tissues you’d like to donate, fill in your details and send it to NOTTO through post. After NOTTO completes the processing, they’ll create a donor card and send it to you.

Let your friends and family know that you want to donate your organs in case of brain death. A donor card only indicates your willingness to be a donor. In the event of actual transplantation, the final consent has to be given by the donor’s family. So please ensure that your family is aware about your decision and would support you.

In case of cadaver donation, it is fairly simple. The donor while he was alive pledges to donate his organs or the patients near relatives can take the decision of donating his organs upon his brain death. Brain death is declared by a team of doctors, usually the hospital medical administrator, a neurosurgeon and the medical officer directly treating the patient. The organs are then given to recipients registered on the registry of transplant recipients based on the position in the waiting list.

The sudden and tragic death of a loved one can be overwhelming. Families who donate organs and tissues not only change the lives of those who receive transplants but they often experience loss and grief differently. Simply because they have transformed their grief into a beautiful positive feeling – love.

Written By: Ms. Suman Sirur