Did you know that even after death, you can do good to the world and humankind in general? If you are wondering how, organ donation is the answer. Just by donating a part of your body, you can give ‘life’ to an ailing person. Virtually, every person who dies a normal death or by accident, is eligible to donate, however, there are only a very few who are actually game for giving this gift. Do you know there are about millions of people in the world who die just because they fail to find a donor? Talking about organ donation, it is actually the abstraction of the tissues from the body of a person, who had taken a pledge during his existence that after death, his body organs can be used for transplantation, to aid seriously ill patients. A few of the organs can be donated while the person is alive as well. For donation, organs and tissues are taken out in same way as in surgery, and all incisions are clogged at the end. People, regardless of their age, race or gender, can be tissue and organ donors. However, if the person is below 18 years of age, consent from the parents or any legal guardian is inevitable. The heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, eyes, heart valves, skin, bones, bone marrow, connective tissues, middle ear, and blood vessels are the major organs and tissues that can be donated by a person.
Indian Laws Regarding Organ Donation
According to the Transplantation of Human Organ Act 1994, a living donor can donate organ or tissues only to his immediate blood relatives, including brother, sister, parents, and children. In such cases, only a few organs can be donated, like one kidney, a portion of pancreas and a part of the liver. The other type of organ donation is Cadaver Organ donor. In this, a person can donate all of the organs of his/her body, after brain death or irreversible and permanent cessation of all brain functions.
Benefits
· Organ donation gives another chance at life to those people who would otherwise die.
· It is one of the few acts for which people will remember you even after you are dead, for your merciful behavior.
· Organ donation is a beautiful bequest that we can make happen. Since eyes can continue seeing and heart can continue beating after our death, we continue to live through someone else.
· Any person can give a new life to at least five individuals. Your eyes can give valuable sight to two individuals. Like this, your organs too, can breathe life into others.
Risks & Recovery
After organ donation, comes the point of transplantation. Though the process of transplantation is now highly successful, there is always a chance of complications for the donor (and the recipient as well, if he/ she is a live donor). For sure, live donation of organs doesn’t affect the donor’s life and he/she lives normally, even after recovery. For instance, people who donate one of their kidneys encounter no problem, as their left kidney enlarges slightly, to function normally. Even after liver donation, there is no complication, as it is the only organ in the human body that has the ability to regenerate and regain full control. In extreme and very rare cases do any problems come up in the donor. However, there are chances of the recipient’s body not accepting the organ, in which case it has to be removed. Talking about recovery time after the surgery, in most cases, it is generally short, and donors can get back to their normal routine within 2 to 6 weeks. Still, before undergoing any such surgery, it’s recommended to consult your doctor about all the pros and cons.
